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THE 

PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL: 

OR, 

THE TRUE MODEL 

FOR 

CHRISTIANS AND PASTORS, 

TRANSLATED FROM A FRENCH MANUSCRIPT OF THE LATE 

REV. JOHN WILLIAM DE LA FLECHERE, 

VICAR OF MADELEY. 






BY THE REV. JOHN GILPIN, 

I 

VICAR OF ROCKWARDINE, IN THE COUNTY OF SALOP. 



Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ. 1 Cor. 3d 1 



NEW-YORK, 

PUBLISHED BY B. WAUGH AND T. MASON, 

FOR THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, AT THE CONFERENCE OFFICE, 

NO. 200 MULBERRY-STREET. 



J. Collord, Printer. 

1834. 



-50 5 



Bequest 

Albert Adsit demons 

Aug. 24, 1938 

(Not available for exchange} 



CONTENTS OF THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 

I. PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 

• Introduction, .Page 7 

C * Author's Preface, 8 

v. Trait I. St. Paul's early piety, 11 

II. His Christian piety, . 13 

III. His intimate union with Christ by faith, 18 

IV. His extraordinary vocation to the holy ministry, and in what that minis. 

try chiefly consists, . . . . . . . . . .19 

V. His entire devotion to Jesus Christ, 23 

VI. His strength and his arms, 24 

VII. His power to bind, to loose, and to bless in the name of the Lord, . 26 

VIII. The earnestness with which he began and continued to fill up the 
duties of his vocation, 28 

IX. Division of his time between prayer, preaching, and thanksgiving, . 29 

X. The fidelity with which he announced the severe threatenings and con- 31 

solitary promises of the Gospel, .31 

XI. His profound humility, 32 

XII. The ingenuous manner in which he acknowledged and repaired his errors, 35 

XIII. His detestation of party spirit and divisions, 36 

XIV. His rejection of praise, 38 

XV. His universal love, 40 

XVI. His particular love to the faithful, 41 

XVII. His love to those whose faith was wavering, . . . .42 

XVIII. His love to his countrymen and his enemies, 42 

XIX. His love to those whom he knew only by report, . . . .43 

XX. His charity toward the poor in giving or procuring temporal relief, . 44 

XXI. His charity toward sinners in offering them every spiritual assistance, 46 

XXII. The engaging condescension of his humble charity, . . . .48 

XXIII. His courage in defence of oppressed truth, . . . . .50 

XXIV. His prudence in frustrating the designs of his enemies, . . .51 

XXV. His tenderness toward others, and his severity toward himself, . . 53 

XXVI. His love never degenerated into cowardice, but reproved and consoled 

as occasion required, .......... 54 

XXVII. His perfect disinterestedness, 58 

XXVIII. His condescension in labouring at times with his own hands, that 

he might preach industry by example, as well as by precept, . . 59 

XXIX. The respect he manifested for the holy estate of matrimony, while 
Christian prudence engaged him to live in a state of celibacy, . . 61 

XXX. The ardour of his love, . . . . . . . . .64 

XXXI. His generous fears and succeeding consolations, . . .65 

XXXII. The grand subject of his glorying, and the evangelical manner in 
which he maintained his superiority over false apostles, . . .67 

XXXIII. His patience and fortitude under the severest trials, . . .68 

XXXIV. His modest firmness before magistrates, 69 

XXXV. His courage in consoling his persecuted brethren, . . . .70 

XXXVI. His humble confidence in producing the seals of his ministry, . 72 

XXXVII. His readiness to seal with his blood the truths of the Gospel, . 76 

XXXVIII. The sweet suspense of his choice between life and death, . . 76 

XXXIX. The constancy of his zeal and diligence to the end of his course, . 77 
XL. His triumph over the evils of life, and the terrors of death, . . .78 

II. PORTRAIT OF LUKEWARM MINISTERS AND FALSE APOSTLES. 

Chapter I. The portrait of lukewarm ministers, 80 

II. The portrait of false apostlesj. . ,/. ... , . . , .82 

III. An answer to the first objection which" may be made against the portrait 

of St. Paul, 86 



6 CONTENTS OP THE PORTRAIT OP ST. PAUL. 

Chapter IV. A second objection argued against, . • • • . Page 89 

V. A third objection replied to, 91 

VI. A fourth objection refuted, 93 

VII. The same subject continued, 96 

VIII. A farther reply to the same objection, 98 

IX. A farther refutation of the same objection, 101 

X. A fifth objection answered, 103 

XI. A reply to the last objection urged against the portrait of St. Paul, . 108 

III. PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL.— PART SECOND. 

The doctrines of an evangelical pastor, Ill 

He preaches true repentance toward God, . . . . . . .112 

How sin and the necessity of repentance entered into the world, . . . 113 
This doctrine is maintained by all the Christian Churches, . . . .114 

Without evangelical repentance, a lively faith in Christ, or regeneration by 

the Holy Spirit, will appear not only unnecessary but absurd, . .115 
How the faithful pastor leads sinners to repentance, . . . . .116 
How the prophets, Jesus Christ, his forerunner, and his apostles, prepared 

sinners for repentance, . . 118 

Observations upon the repentance of worldly men, ..... 121 
The second point of doctrine, insisted upon by the true minister, is living faith, 131 

The true minister goes on to announce a lively hope, 145 

The true minister preaches Christian charity, ...... 154 

The true minister believes and preaches the three grand promises of God, 

together with the three great dispensations of grace, . . . .166 
The true minister studies the different dispensations, in order to qualify him. 

self for the discharge of every part of his duty, 170 

The different dispensations are produced by that lovely variety with which 

the Almighty is pleased to distribute his favours, . . . . .173 
The different preachers under these different dispensations, . . . 179 

The dispensation of the Holy Spirit is now in force, and the minister who 

preaches this dispensation cannot justly be esteemed an enthusiast, . 181 
The evangelical pastor defends these dispensations against all opposers, . 184 

IV. PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL.— PART THIRD— AN ESSAY ON THE 
CONNECTION OF DOCTRINES WITH MORALITY. 

Preliminary Observations, 198 

Chapter I. Philosophers, so called, exalt themselves without reason against 

the doctrines of the Gospel, 199 

II. The doctrines of natural religion and philosophy are insufficient to pro- 

duce true charity in the heart, ......... 202 

III. The great influence of doctrines upon morality, ..... 206 

IV. How the doctrines of the Gospel come in to the succour of morality, . 207 

V. Reflections on the apostles' creed, . . 209 

VI. The connection of morality with the second part of the apostles' creed, 211 

VII. The connection of morality with the third part of the apostles' creed, 213 

VIII. Consequences of the foregoing observations, ..... 214 

IX. An appeal to experience, 215 

X. An objection answered, which may be drawn from the ill conduct of 

unholy Christians, to prove the inutility of the doctrines of the Gospel, 218 

XI. The same subject continued, ......... 222 

XII. Other reasons given for the little influence which the foregoing doc 
trines are observed to have on Christians in general, .... 223 

XIII. The doctrines of Christianity have an obscure side. Reasons of this 
obscurity. Errors of some philosophers in this respect, . . . 225 

XIV. The advantages of redemption are extended in different degrees to all 
mankind through every period of the world, 230 

XV. Reflections on the danger to which modern Deists expose themselves, 235 



INTRODUCTION. 



The following work was begun and nearly completed in the course 
of Mr. Fletcher's last residence at Nyon, where it formed a valuable 
part of his private labours, during a long and painful confinement from 
public duty. On his return to England he suffered the manuscript to 
lie by him in a very loose and disordered state, intending, at his leisure, 
to translate and prepare it for the press. In the meantime he entered 
upon the arduous task of revising and enlarging a French poem, which 
he had lately published at Geneva under the title of " La Louange," and 
which was reprinted at London in the year 1785, under the title of 
" La Grace et la Nature." The second appearance of this poem was 
speedily followed by the dissolution of the author. Soon after this 
melancholy event had taken place, Mrs. Fletcher, in looking over the 
papers of the deceased, discovered the first part of the Portrait of St. 
Paul, with the perusal of which she favoured the translator, who finding 
it a work of no common importance, was readily induced to render it 
into English. From time to time different parts of the work were dis- 
covered, and though the manuscript was so incorrect and confused, as 
frequently to stagger the resolution of the translator, yet a strong per- 
suasion that the work was calculated to produce the most desirable 
effects, encouraged him to persevere till he had completed his under- 
taking. 

It is scarcely necessary to inform the intelligent reader that the 
Portrait of St. Paul was originally intended for publication in the author's 
native country, to which its arguments and quotations apply with pecu- 
liar propriety. It may be more necessary to observe, that had the life 
of Mr. Fletcher been prolonged, the traits of St. Paul's moral characier 
would have been rendered abundantly more copious and complete. 



THE AUTHOR'S PREFACE. 



Many celebrated writers have offered excellent treatises to the public, 
some on the character of a true Christian, and others on the duties of a 
good pastor. It were to be wished that these two objects might be so 
closely united as to fall under the same point of view : and to effect such 
a union is the design of this work, in which may be seen, at one view, 
what were the primitive Christians and the apostolic pastors; and what 
they are required to be, who are called to follow them in the progress 
of piety. 

As example is more powerful than precept, it was necessary that 
some person should be singled out, who was both an excellent Christian, 
and an eminent minister of Jesus Christ. The person we fix upon is 
St. Paul, in whom these two characters were remarkably united, and a 
sketch of whose wondrous portrait we endeavour to exhibit in the follow- 
ing pages. When this apostle is considered as a Christian, his diligence 
in filling up the duties of his vocation, his patience in times of trial, his 
courage in the midst of dangers, his perseverance in well doing, his faith, 
his humility, his charity, all sweetly blended together, constitute him an 
admirable model for every Christian. And when we regard him as a 
dispenser of the mysteries of God, his inviolable attachment to truth, and 
his unconquerable zeal, equally distant from fanaticism and indifference, 
Reserve the imitation of every minister of the Gospel. 

The Holy Scriptures furnish materials in abundance for the present 
work,-; tte Acts of the Apostles, from chapter viii, containing little else 
than a narration of the labours of St. Paul, or an abridgment of his ser- 
mons and apologies. The New Testament, beside the Acts, contains 
twenty-two different books, fourteen of which were composed by this 
apostle himself, with all the frankness suited to the epistolary style, and 
all the personal detail into which he was obliged to enter when writing 
in an uncommon variety of circumstances, to his friends, his brethren, 
and his spiritual children. It is on such occasions that a man is most 
likely to discover what he really is ; and it is on such occasions that 
the moral painter may take an author in the most interesting positions, 



in order to delineate, with accuracy, his sentiments, his circumstances, 
and his conduct. 

Let it not be said that, in proposing this apostle as a model to Chris- 
tians, we do but cast discouragements in the way of those who are at an 
immense distance behind him, with respect both to grace and diligence. 
The masterly skill that Raphael and Rubens have discovered in their 
pieces, serves not to discourage modern painters, who rather labour to 
form themselves by such grand models. Poets and orators are not dis- 
heartened by those chef d'ceuvres of poetry and eloquence which Homer 
and Virgil, Demosthenes and Cicero, have transmitted to posterity; 
why then should we be discouraged by considering the eminent virtues 
and unwearied labours of this great apostle 1 The greater the excel- 
lence of the pattern proposed, the less likely is the laboured copy to be 
incomplete. 

It is granted that all the faithful are not called to be ministers, and 
that all ministers are not appointed, like St. Paul, to establish new 
Churches : but it is maintained, that all Christians, in their different 
states, are to be filled with the piety of that apostle. If the most incon- 
siderable trader among us is not allowed to say, " I deal only in trifling 
articles, and therefore should be indulged with a false balance," — if such 
a trader is required to be as just in his shop, as a judge on his tribunal; 
and if the lowest volunteer in an army is called to show as much valour 
in his humble post, as a general officer in his more exalted station ; the 
same kind of reasoning may be applied to the Christian Church : so that 
her youngest communicant is not permitted to say, " My youth, or the 
weakness of my sex, excuses me from exercising the charity, the humi- 
lity, the diligence, and the zeal which the Scriptures prescribe." 

It should be laid down as an incontrovertible truth, that the same 
zeal which was manifested by St. Paul for the glory of God, and the 
same charity that he displayed, as an apostle, in the very extensive 
scene of his labours, a minister is called to exercise, as a pastor, in his 
parish, and a private person, as father of a family, in his own house. 
Nay, even every woman, in proportion to her capacity, and as the other 
duties of her station permit, should feel the same ardour to promote the 
salvation of her children and domestics, as St. Paul once discovered to 
promote that of the ancient Jews and Gentiles. Observe, in the harvest 
field, how it fares with the labourers, when they are threatened with an 
impetuous shower. All do not bind and bear the weighty sheaves. 
Every one is occupied according to their rank, their strength, their age, 



10 THE AUTHOR S PREFACE. 

and their sex; and all are in action, even to the little gleaners. The 
true Church resembles this field. The faithful of every rank, age, and 
sex, have but one heart and one mind. According to their state, and 
the degree of their faith, all are animated to labour in the cause of God, 
and all are endeavouring to save either communities, families, or indi- 
viduals, from the wrath to come ; as the reapers and gleaners endea- 
vour to secure the rich sheaves, and even the single ears of grain, from 
the gathering storm. 

If, in the course of this work, some truths are proposed which may 
appear new to the Christian reader, let him candidly appeal, for the 
validity of them, to the Holy Scriptures, and to the testimony of reason, 
supported by the most respectable authorities, such as the confessions 
of faith adopted by the purest Churches, together with the works of the 
most celebrated pastors and professors who have explained such con- 
fessions. 

Among other excellent ends proposed in publishing the following 
sheets, it is hoped that they may bring back bigoted divines to evangeli- 
cal moderation, and either reconcile, or bring near to one another the 
orthodox professor, the imperfect Christian, and the sincere deist. 



THE FIRST TRAIT 
IN THE MORAL CHARACTER OF ST. PAUL. 



His early piety. 

Tiie great apostle of the Gentiles bore no resemblance to those who 
reject the service of God, till they are rendered incapable of gratifying 
their unruly passions. He was mindful of his Creator from his early 
} r outh, and as an observer of religious rites outstripped the most exact 
and rigid professors of his time ; so that the regularity of his conduct, 
the fervour of his devotion, and the vivacity of his zeal, attracted the 
attention of his superiors in every place. Observe the manner in which 
he himself speaks on this subject, before the tribunal of Festus : " My 
manner of life, from my youth, which was at the first among mine own 
nation at Jerusalem, know all the Jews, which knew me from the be- 
ginning, (if they would testify,) that after the straitest sect of our religion 
I lived a Pharisee," Acts xxvi, 4, 5. Having occasion afterward to 
mention the same circumstances, in his Epistle to the Galatians, he 
writes thus : " Ye have heard of my conversation in time past, how I 
profited in the Jews' religion above many my equals in mine own nation, 
being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers," Gal. i, 
13, 14. And to what an extraordinary pitch of excellence he had 
carried his morality, may be inferred from the following short, but 
solemn declaration, which was made in the presence of persons who 
were very well competent to have convicted him of falsehood, had there 
been found the least blemish in his outward conduct : " Men and bre- 
thren, I have lived in all good conscience before God unto this day," 
Acts xxiii, 1. Such was the early piety of St. Paul ; and such was the 
righteousness in which he trusted, when, through zeal for the Church 
and state, of which he was a member, he persecuted Christians as 
disturbers of the public pea.ce. 

Having seen the beautiful side of this apostle's early character, let us 
now consider his defects. As a member of the Jewish Church he was 
inspired with zeal, but that zeal was rigid and severe ; as a member of 
society, his manners were probably courteous, but on some occasions 
his behaviour was tyrannical and inhuman ; in a word, he possessed 
the whole of religion, except those essential parts of it, humility and 
charity. Supercilious and impatient, he would bear no contradiction. 
Presuming upon his own sufficiency, he gave himself no time to com- 
pare his errors with truth : and hence, covering his cruelty with the 
specious name of zeal, he breathed out " threatenings and slaughter 
against the disciples of the Lord," Acts ix, 1. He himself, speaking 
of this part of hi3 character, makes the following humiliating confession : 
"I Was a blasphemer and a persecutor, and injurious," 1 Tim. i, 13. 
" I verily thought with myself that I ought to do many things contrary 
to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. Which tiling I also did in Jerusa- 



12 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. FALL. 

lem, and many of the saints did I shut up in prison, having received 
authority from the chief priests ; and when they were put to death I 
gave my voice against them. And I punished them oft in every syna- 
gogue, and compelled them to blaspheme ; and being exceedingly mad 
against them, I persecuted them even unto strange cities," Acts xxvi, 
9-11. 

Nevertheless, this rigid Pharisee, who carried his devotion to bigotry, 
and his zeal to fury, had an upright heart in the sight of God. " I ob- 
tained mercy," says he, after his conversion, " because I did it igno- 
rantly in unbelief," 1 Tim. i, 13 ; imagining, that when I persecuted 
the disciples of Jesus, I was opposing a torrent of the most dangerous 
errors. 

Piety is that knowledge of God and his various relations to man, 
which leads us to adore, to love, and obey him in public and in private. 
This great virtue is the first trait in the moral character of St. Paul ; and 
it is absolutely necessary to the Christian character in general, since it is 
that parent of all virtues, to which God has given the promise of the 
present life, and of that which is to come. But it is more particularly 
necessaiy to those who consecrate themselves to the holy ministry ; 
since being obliged by their office to exhibit before their flock an ex- 
ample of piety, if they themselves are destitute of godliness, they must 
necessarily act without any conformity to the sacred character they 
have dared to assume. 

If Quintilian the heathen has laid it down as a general principle, that 
it is impossible to become a good orator without being a good man, 
surely no one will deny that piety should be considered as the first 
qualification essential to a Christian speaker. Mons. Roques, in his 
" Evangelical Pastor," observes that " the minister, by his situation, is 
a man retired from the world, devoted to God, and called to evangelical 
holiness. He is," continues he, " according to St. Paul, ' a man of 
God,' that is, a person entirely consecrated to God ; a man of superior 
excellence ; a man, in some sense, divine ; and to answer, in any de- 
gree, the import of this appellation, it is necessary that his piety should 
be illustrious, solid, and universal." Without doubt this pious author 
had collected these beautiful ideas from the writings of St. Paul, who 
thus addresses Titus upon the same subject : " A minister must be 
blameless as the steward of God ; not self-willed, not soon angry, not 
given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre : but a lover of hos- 
pitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate ; holding fast 
the faithful word, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort 
and convince the gainsayers," Tit. i, 7-9. " He must use sound speech, 
that cannot be condemned : in doctrine showing uncorruptness, gravity, 
sincerity ; that he who is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having 
no evil thing to say of him," Tit. ii, 7, 8. 

A pastor without piety disgraces the holy profession which he has 
made choice of, most probably from the same temporal motives which 
influence others to embrace the study of the law, or the profession of 
arms. If those who are called to serve tables were to be " men of 
honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom," Acts vi, 8, it is evk 
dent that the same dispositions and graces should be possessed, in a 
more eminent degree, by those who are called to minister in holy things. 



THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL* 13 

" When thou art converted," said Christ to Peter, " strengthen thy bre- 
thren," Luke xxii, 32. 

No sight can be more absurd than that of an impenitent infidel en- 
gaged in calling sinners to repentance and faith. Even the men of the 
world look down with contempt upon a minister of this description, 
whose conduct perpetually contradicts his discourses, and who, while 
he is pressing upon others the necessity of holiness, indulges himself in 
the pleasures of habitual sin. Such a preacher, far from being instru- 
mental in effecting true conversions among his people, will generally 
lead his hearers into the same hypocrisy which distinguishes his own 
character : since that which was said in ancient times holds equally 
true in the present day, " Like people, like priest," Hos. iv, 9. Luke- 
warm pastors make careless Christians ; and the worldly preacher leads 
his worldly hearers as necessarily into carnal security, as a blind guide 
conducts the blind into the ditch. And to this unhappy source may be 
traced the degenerate manners of the present age, the reproach under 
which our holy religion labours, and the increasing triumphs of 
infidelity. 

" The natural man," saith St. Paul, " receiveth not the things of the 
Spirit of God : for they are foolishness unto him ; neither can he know 
them, because they are spiritually discerned," 1 Cor. ii, 14. Now, if a 
minister, who is destitute of Scriptural piety, is counted unable to com- 
prehend the doctrines of the Gospel, how much less is he able to pub- 
lish and explain them ? And if those, who live according to the vain 
customs of the world, have not the righteousness of the Pharisees, with 
what propriety can they be called, I will not say, true ministers, but 
even pious Deists 1 

Though every candidate for the sacred ministry may not be in cir- 
cumstances, to declare with St. Paul, " I have lived in all good con- 
science before God unto this day :" yet all who aspire to that important 
office should, at least, be able to say with sincerity, " Herein do I exer- 
cise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence, toward God 
and toward man," Acts xxiv, 16. Such were the morals and the con- 
duct of a Socrates and an Epictetus : and worshippers like these, 
" coming from the east and from the west," shall enter into the king- 
dom of heaven, " while the children of the kingdom shall be cast out 
into outer darkness," Matt, viii, 11, 12. 



TRAIT II. 

His Christian piety. 

It has been made sufficiently plain, under the preceding article, that 
St. Paul was possessed of a good degree of piety from his very infancy. 
Having been brought up in the fear of God by his father, who is sup- 
posed to have been a zealous Pharisee, he was afterward instructed at 
the feet of Gamaliel, a pious doctor of the law, to whose wisdom and 
moderation St. Luke has borne an honourable testimony, Acts v, 34. 
And so greatly had he profited in his youth by these inestimable privi- 
leges, that " touching the righteousness which is of the law," he was 
blameless. But this piety was not sufficient under the New Testament. 



14 THE P011TBAIT OF ST. PAUL. 

To become a Christian and a true minister of the Gospel, it is neces- 
sary to have not only the piety of a sincere Deist, or of a devout Jew, 
as St. Paul had before his conversion, but also those higher degrees of 
piety which that apostle possessed, after he had received the two-fold 
gift of deep repentance toward God and living faith in Jesus Christ. 
The basis of piety among the Jews was a knowledge of God, as Cre- 
ator, Protector, and Rewarder : but, in order to have Christian piety, it 
is necessary, that to this knowledge of God as Creator, &c, should be 
added that of God the Redeemer, God the destroyer of all evils, God 
our Saviour ; or in other words, the knowledge of Jesus Christ. "This 
is life eternal, that they might know thee, the only true God, and Jesus 
Christ whom thou hast sent," John xvii, 3. 

But who can truly know, I will not say his Saviour, but merely his 
need of a Saviour, without first becoming acquainted with his own heart, 
and receiving there a livery impression both of his sin and his danger ? 
A student in theology, who has not yet submitted himself to the maxim 
of Solon, " Know thyself;" and who has never mourned under that 
sense of our natural ignorance and depravity which forced Socrates to 
confess the want of a Divine instructer : — a candidate, I say, who is 
wholly unacquainted with himself, instead of eagerly soliciting the 
imposition of hands, should rather seek after a true understanding of 
the censure which Christ once passed upon the pastor of the Laodicean 
Church : " Thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and 
naked," Rev. iii, 17. 

If a young man steals into the ministry without this knowledge, far 
from being able to preach the Gospel, he will not even comprehend that 
first evangelical principle, " Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the 
kingdom of heaven," Matt, v, 3. And instead of devoutly offering up to 
God the prayers of an assembled congregation, he will constantly begin 
the sacred office by an act of hypocrisy, in saying, " Almighty Father, 
we have erred and strayed from thy ways like lost sheep. We have 
offended against thy holy laws. There is no health in us. But thou, 
O Lord, have mercy upon us, miserable sinners." After making these 
confessions in public, when he is interrogated in private respecting that 
misery and condemnation, under a sense of which he so lately appeared 
to groan, he will not scruple immediately to contradict what he has 
so plainly expressed : thus discovering to every impartial observer, 
that when he prays in public, he prays either as a child who under- 
stands not what he repeats, or as a deceiver, who appears to believe 
what he really gives no credit to, and that merely for the sake of en- 
joying the pension of a minister, and his rank in society. 

What is here said of ministers is equally applicable to Christians in 
general. If any one dares to approach the sacramental table, there to 
make a profession of being redeemed from eternal death by the death 
of Christ, before he is deeply humbled under a sense of the condemna- 
tion due to his sin : can such a one be said to perform an act of piety ? 
Is he not rather engaged in performing an act of vain ceremony and 
presumptuous dissimulation in the presence of God? The feigned 
humiliation of such a communicant would resemble that of a rebel sub- 
ject, who, without any consciousness that his actions had merited death, 
ehould cast himself, from motives of interest, at the feet of his prince, 



THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 15 

and affect to rejoice under a sense of that undeserved clemency which 
permitted him to live. All our professions of faith in Christ are tinctured, 
more or less, with hypocrisy, unless preceded by that painful conviction 
of past errors, whence alone can cordially flow those humiliating con- 
fessions, with which we are accustomed to begin our sacred services. 

The true Christian, and, consequently, the true minister, is con- 
strained to cry out, with St. Paul, when he discovered the purity of 
Jehovah's law, and the greatness of his own guilt : " The law is spi- 
ritual," and demands an obedience correspondent to its nature ; " but I 
am carnal, sold under sin : for what I would, that I do not ; but what I 
hate, that I do. I know that in me, that is, in my flesh, dwelleth no 
good thing. O wretched man that I am ! who shall deliver me from 
the body of this death?" Rom. vii, 14-24. 

In this manner the true penitent, weary and heavy laden, makes his 
approaches to the Saviour ; and while he continues to implore his grace 
and favour, an incomprehensible change takes place in his soul. His 
groans are suddenly turned into songs of deliverance, and he is enabled 
to adopt the triumphant language of the great apostle : " I thank God, 
through Jesus Christ our Lord ; for the law of the Spirit of life in 
Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. There 
is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, 
who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit," Rom. vii, 25 ; viii, 1, 2. 

Eveiy true follower of Christ, therefore, and especially every true 
minister of the Gospel, has really experienced the evil of sin, the ina- 
bility of man to free himself from such oil, and the efficacy of that 
remedy, which endued the first Christians with so extraordinary a 
degree of purity, power, and joy. And in testimony of the virtue of 
this sovereign remedy, every such follower has a right to declare with 
his happy predecessors, * We give thanks unto the Father, who hath 
made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light : 
who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath trans- 
lated us into the kingdom of his dear Son ; in whom we have redemp- 
tion through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins," Col. i, 12-14. 

When a preacher is possessed of Christian piety ; or, in other words, 
when he has made his peace with God, by that deep repentance which 
enables us to die unto sin, and by that living faith which unites us to 
Christ, he naturally invites the world to embrace a Saviour who has 
wrought for him so wonderful a deliverance : and this imitation he 
enforces with all the power and warmth which must ever accompany 
deep sensibility. After having believed with the heart to the obtaining 
of righteousness, he is prepared to confess with his lips, and to testify of 
his salvation : crying out, as sincerely as Simeon, but in a sense far 
more complete, " Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace ; 
for, according to thy word, mine eyes have seen thy salvation." 
" Here," says Mr» Ostervald, " may be applied what was spoken by our 
blessed Lord, * A good man, out of the good treasure of his heart, 
bringeth forth good things.' Erasmus speaks the same thing, Nihil 
potentius ad excitandos bonos affectus, quam piorum affectuum fontem habere 
in pectore. Si vis me fare, dolendum est, S$c : that is, following the idea 
of the author, you will never win others over to a religious life, unless 
you yourself are first possessed of piety. This inspires thoughts, dis- 



16 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 

positions, and words, which nothing else can produce. It is this that 
animates the voice, the gesture, and every action of the Christian 
preacher. When he is thus grounded in piety, it is difficult to conceive 
with what facility, and with what success he labours, still enjoying an, 
unspeakable sweetness in himself. Then it is that he is truly sensible 
of his vocation ; then he speaks in the cause of God, and then only he 
is in a proper situation to affect others." 

It appeared so necessary to the fathers, who composed the synod of 
Berne, that every minister should be possessed of solid piety, that they 
believed it impossible for a man to be a good catechist without it. After 
recommending it to pastors to explain among the youth, the Lord's 
prayer and the apostles' creed, they add : " This will be abundantly 
more effectual, if, first of all, we are careful that Jesus Christ may arise 
in our own hearts. The fire, with which we should then be animated, 
would soon stir up and warm the docile minds of children. Otherwise, 
that which reason alone draws from books, and is taught by other men, 
is no more than a human work, and will be ineffectual, till the great 
Master, the Holy Spirit itself, becomes of the party, creating, renewing, 
and regenerating to a celestial and eternal life." (Acts of the Synod, 
chap, xxxiv.) 

REFLECTIONS 
Upon the second trait of the character of St. Paul. 

1. The experimental knowledge of our misery as sinners, and of our 
salvation as sinners redeemed, is the portion of every believer under the 
Gospel. If we are destitute of this two-fold knowledge, we are yet in 
a state of dangerous ignorance, and are denominated Christians in vain : 
for Christian humility has its source in the knowledge of our corruption, 
as Christian charity flows from the knowledge of the great salvation 
which Christ has procured for us : and if these two graces are not 
resident in our hearts, our religion is but the shadow of Christianity. 

2. As there are some persons whose physiognomy is strongly 
marked, and who have something peculiarly striking in the whole turn 
of their countenance ; so there are some, the traits of whose moral 
character are equally striking, and whose conversion is distinguished 
by uncommon circumstances. Such was the Apostle Paul. But a train 
of wonderful occurrences is by no means necessary to conversion. For 
example — It is not necessary that all believers should be actually cast 
to the earth : or that groaning beneath the weight of their sins, and 
under the conviction of a two-fold blindness, they should continue in 
prayer for three days and nights, without either eating or drinking. 
But it is absolutely necessary that they should be sensible of an extreme 
sorrow for having offended a gracious God ; that they should condemn 
themselves and their vices by an unfeigned repentance, and that, con- 
fessing the depravity of their whole heart, they should abandon them- 
selves to that sincere distress which refuses all consolation, except that 
which is from above. Neither is it necessary that they should hear a 
voice from heaven, that they should see a light brighter than the sun, 
or behold, in a vision, the minister chosen to bring them consolation in 
the name of the Lord Jesus. But it is absolutely necessary that thev 



THE TORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 17 

should hear the word of God, that they should be illuminated by the 
Gospel, and receive directions from any messenger sent for their relief; 
till, placing their whole confidence in God through a gracious Redeemer, 
they leel a new and heavenly nature produced within them. This 
sincere repentance and this living faith, or, which is the same thing, 
this Christian piety, is strictly required oi' every believer under the New 
Testament. 

3. Christian piety constitutes the great difference that is observed 
between true ministers and unworthy pastors. The latter preach, 
chiefly, either in order to obtain benefices, or to preserve them, or, 
perhaps, to relieve one another in the discharge of those duties which 
they esteem heavy and painful. But the desire of communicating to 
sinners that spiritual knowledge, which is more precious than rubies, is 
the grand motive for preaching with the true ministers of God. They 
publish Christ, like St. Paul, from sentiment and inclination ; exposing 
themselves even to persecution on account of preaching the Gospel, like 
those faithful evangelists, who, when commanded to teach no more in 
the name of Jesus, answered with equal respect and resolution : " Whe- 
ther it be right, in the sight of God, to hearken unto you more than 
unto God, judge ye ; for we cannot but speak the things which we have 
seen and heard," Acts iv, 19, 20. 

4. It is worthy of observation, that St. Paul supplicates, not only for 
all public teachers, but for every private believer in the Church, the 
highest degrees of grace and Christian experience. " I cease not," 
saith he to the Ephesians, " to make mention of you in my prayers : 
that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give 
unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him ; 
the eyes of your understanding being enlightened, that ye may know 
what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his 
inheritance in the saints : and what is the exceeding greatness of his 
power to us- ward, who believe," Eph. i, 16—19. And the same end 
which this apostle proposed to himself in his private supplications, St. 
John also proposed to himself in writing his public Epistles : " That 
which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye may also 
have fellowship with us ; and truly our fellowship is with the Father, 
and with his Son, Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you, 
that your joy may be full," 1 John i, 3, 4. As though he had said, 
We write, if haply we may excite you to seek after higher degrees of 
faith, charity, and obedience ; " that being rooted and grounded in love, 
ye may be able to comprehend with all saints, the love of Christ, 
which passeth knowledge ; that ye may be filled with all the fulness of 
God," Eph. iii, 17-19. The attentive reader will easily perceive, that 
what was once the subject of St. Paul's most ardent prayers, is at this 
day considered by nominal Christians in general, as a proper subject 
for the most pointed raillery. 

5. Those ministers who are not yet furnished with Christian expe- 
rience, and who are not seeking after it as the pearl of great price, 
held out to us in the Gospel, are not yet truly converted to the Christian 
faith : and (I repeat it after Mr. Ostervald) being destitute of Christian 
piety, far from being in circumstances to preach the Gospel, they are 
not even able to comprehend it These are they, " who, having a form 

Vol, ffl. 2 



18 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 

©f godliness* deny the power thereof," 2 Tim. hi, 5. And the greatest 
eulogium that can be pronounced upon such characters, is that with 
which St. Paul honoured the unbelieving zealots of his time : " I bear 
them record that they have a zeal for God ;" but that zeal is unaccom- 
panied with any true knowledge, either of man's weakness, or the 
Redeemer's power : " for they, being ignorant of God's righteousness, 
and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submit- 
ted themselves unto the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end 
of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth," Rom. x, 2-4. 

6. Whoever has not experienced that conviction of sin, and that 
repentance, which is described by St. Paul in the seventh chapter of his 
Epistle to the Romans, though, like Nicodemus, he may be " a doctor 
in Israel," yet he shall never see the kingdom of God. Totally carnal, 
and satisfied to continue so, he neither understands nor desires that 
regeneration which the Gospel proposes and insists upon. He endea- 
vours not to fathom the sense of these important words : " Verily, verily, 
I say unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot see the king- 
dom of God," John iii, 8. He considers those who are born of the 
Spirit as rank enthusiasts, and disdains to make any serious inquiry 
respecting the foundation of their hope. If his acquaintance with the 
letter of the Scripture did not restrain him,, he would tauntingly address 
the artless question of Nicodemus to every minister who preaches the 
doctrine of regeneration : " How can a man be born when he is old 1 
Can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born ?" 
John iii, 4. And unless he was withheld by a sense of politeness, he 
would rudely repeat to every zealous follower of St. Paul the ungracious 
expression of Festus : " Thou art beside thyself; much " mystic " learn- 
ing doth make thee mad," Acts xxvi, 24. 

7. On the contrary, a minister who is distinguished by the second 
trait of the character of St. Paul, at the same time proportionably pos- 
sesses every disposition necessary to form an evangelical pastor : since 
it is not possible for Christian piety to exist without the brilliant light 
©f truth, and the burning zeal of charity. And every minister who has 
this light and this love, is enriched with those two powerful resources 
which enabled the first Christians to act as citizens of heaven, and the 
first ministers as ambassadors of Christ. 



TRAIT III. 

His intimate union with Christ by fctith, 

" I am come," said the good Shepherd, " that my sheep might have 
life, and that they might have it more abundantly," John x, 10, 11. 
"lam the light of the world," John viii, 12. "I am the way, the truth, 
and the life," John xiv, 6. " I am the vine ; ye are the branches," 
John xv, 5. The faithful minister understands the signification of these 
mysterious expressions. He walks in this way, he follows this light, 
he embraces this truth, and enjoys this life in all its rich abundance. 
Constantly united to his Lord, by an humble faith, a lively hope, and an 
ardent charity, he is enabled to say, with St. Paul, " The love of Christ 
constraineth me ; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then 



THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 19 

were all dead ; and that he died for all, that they which live should not 
henceforth live unto themselves, but unto Him who died for them and 
rose again," 2 Cor. v, 14. "We are dead, and our life is hid with 
Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall 
we also appear with him in glory," Col. iii, 3, 4. " For if we have 
been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in 
the likeness of his resurrection. Knowing that Christ, being raised 
from the dead, dieth no more ; but liveth unto God. We likewise 
reckon ourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive' unto God, through 
Jesus Christ our Lord," Rom. vi, 5, 9, 11. 

This living faith is the source from whence all the sanctity of the 
Christian is derived, and all the power of the true minister. It is the 
medium through which that sap of grace and consolation, those streams 
of peace and joy, are perpetually flowing, which enrich the believing 
soul, and make it fruitful in every good work ; or, to speak without a 
metaphor, from this powerful grace proceeds that love of God and man 
which influences us to think and act, either as members or as ministers 
of Jesus Christ. The character of the Christian is determined accord- 
ing to the strength or weakness of his faith. If the faith of St. Paul 
had been weak or wavering, his portrait would have been unworthy of 
our contemplation : he would necessarily have fallen into doubt and dis- 
couragement; he might probably have sunk into sin, as St. Peter 
plunged into the sea ; he must, sooner or later, have lost his spiritual 
vigour, and have made the same appearance in the Church as those 
ministers and Christians who are influenced by the maxims of the 
world. The effects of faith are still truly mysterious, though our Lord 
has explained them in as intelligible a manner as their nature will per- 
mit : " He that abideth in me," by a living faith, " and in whom I abide," 
by the light of my word and by the power of my Spirit, " the same 
bringeth forth much fruit ; for without me ye can do nothing. If any 
man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and" being "withered, 
is cast into the fire and burned. Herein is my Father glorified, that," 
united to me as the branches to the vine, " ye bear much fruit ; so shall 
ye be my disciples," John xv, 6, 7, 8. 

Penetrated with these great truths, and daily cleaving more firmly to 
his living Head, the true minister expresses what the natural man 
cannot receive, and what few pastors of the present age are able to 
comprehend, though St. Paul not only experienced it in his own heart, 
but openly declares it in the following remarkable passage : " I am 
crucified with Christ : nevertheless, I live ; yet, not I, but Christ liveth 
in me ; and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of 
the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me," Gal. ii, 20. 



TRAIT IV. 

His extraordinary vocation to the holy ministry, and in what that ministry 
chiefly consists. 

Every professor of Christianity is acquainted with the honour which 
our Lord conferred upon the Apostle Paul, in not only calling him to a 
participation of the Christian faith, but by appointing him also to publish 



20 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. TAVL. 

the everlasting Gospel. A just sense of this double honour penetrated 
the heart of that apostle with the most lively gratitude : "I give thanks," 
saith he, "to Christ Jesus our Lord, for that he counted me faithful, 
putting me into the ministry ; who was before a blasphemer, and a per- 
secutor, and injurious. But I obtained mercy, because I did it igno- 
rantly in unbelief: and the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant 
in me, with faith and love, which is in Christ Jesus. Howbeit, for this 
cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show forth 
all long-suffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe 
on him to everlasting life," 1 Tim. i, 12, 16. The evangelical ministry, 
to which St. Paul was immediately called, is in general the same through 
every age enlightened by the Gospel, and consists in publishing the 
truth after such a manner that the wicked may be converted, and the 
faithful edified. The commission which this great apostle received 
from Christ contains, essentially, nothing more than the acknowledged 
duty of every minister of the Gospel. Leave out the miraculous ap- 
pearance of our Lord ; pass over the circumstance of a commission 
given in an extraordinary manner ; substitute the word sinners for that 
of Gentiles, and instead of Jews, read hypocritical professors ; and you 
will perceive that, with these immaterial alterations, the commission of 
St. Paul is the commission of every faithful minister of the Church. 
Observe the tenor of it. In person, or by my ambassadors, in a manner 
either extraordinary or ordinary, " I appoint thee a minister, and a wit- 
ness of those things which thou hast seen, [or experienced,] and of those 
things in the which I will appear to thee ; and I will deliver thee from 
the hands of the people, and from the Gentiles," that is, from the hands 
of hypocritical professors, and from ignorant sinners, " unto whom I 
now send thee, to open their eyes, and to turn them from the darkness 
of error to the light of truth, and from the power of Satan to God," that 
is, from sin, which is the image of Satan, to holiness, which is the image 
of God, " that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and an inheritance 
among them which are sanctified, by faith that is in me," Acts xxvi, 
16-18. Such was the office to which St. Paul was appointed, more 
especially among the Gentile nations ; and such, without doubt, is the 
office of every pastor, at least within the limits of his particular parish. 
As for taking the ecclesiastical habit, reading over some pages of a 
liturgy, solemnizing marriages, baptizing infants, keeping registers, and 
receiving stipends, these things are merely accidental ; and every 
minister should be able to say, with St. Paul, " Christ sent me, not 
[principally] to baptize, but to preach the Gospel," 1 Cor. i, 17. 

It is evident, from various passages in the different offices of our 
Church, that our pious reformers were unanimously of opinion, that 
Christ himself appoints, and, in some sort, inspires all true pastors ; that 
he commits the flock to their keeping, and that their principal care is 
the same with that of the first evangelists, namely, " the conversion of 
souls." And truly, the same Lord who appointed his disciples as 
apostles, or ocular witnesses of his resurrection, has also appointed 
others as pastors, or witnesses of a secondary order, and suffragans of 
the first evangelists. If the witnesses of a higher order were permitted 
to see Christ after his resurrection, those of a secondary order have felt 
the efficacy of his resurrection, " being raised together with him," or 



THE PORTS AIT OF ST. PADL. 21 

regenerated through the reception of " a lively hope, by the rising again 
of Christ from the dead," 1 Pet. i, 3 ; Col. iii, 1. So that every true 
minister who bears his testimony to the truths of the Gospel, whether it 
be from the pulpit or before tribunals, is supported by his own particular 
experience of Christ's resurrection, as well as by a conviction founded 
upon the depositions of the first witnesses. Now this conviction and 
this experience are by no means confined to the ministering servants of 
God ; but the hearts of the faithful, in their several generations, have 
been influenced by them both ; i( it be true, that they have constantly 
stood prepared to seal with their blood these two important truths, Jesus 
Christ " died for our sins, and rose again for our justification." Millions 
of the laity have been called to give this last proof of their faith, and, 
beyond all doubt, it is abundantly more difficult to bear testimony to the 
truth upon a scaffold than from a pulpit. 

If St. Paul and (he other apostles are considered as persons of rank 
far superior to ours, they themselves cry out, " O sirs ! we also are men 
of like passions with you," Acts xiv, 15. If it be said that God inspired 
the apostles with all the wisdom and zeal necessary to fulfil the duties 
of their high vocation ; it may be replied, that our Churches implore for 
their established pastors the same wisdom and zeal, grounding such 
prayers upon the authority of many plain passages of Holy Scripture. 
" Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that 
we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto him be 
glory in the Church, by Christ Jesus, throughout all ages, world without 
end," Eph. iii, 20, 21. 

Moreover, it is an error to suppose that the apostles needed no aug- 
mentation of that Divine light by which spiritual objects are discerned. 
St. Paul, who was favoured with an extraordinary inspiration, and that 
sufficient to compose sacred books, in which infallibility is to be found, 
writes thus to believers : " Now we see through a glass darkly ; but then 
face to face. Now I know in part ; but then shall I know even as also 
I am known," 1 Cor. xiii, 12. An humble, but happy confession ! which, 
on the one hand, will not suffer us to be discouraged when we are most 
sensible of our inadequate light ; and teaches us, on the other, how ne- 
cessary it is to make incessant application to the " Father of lights ;" 
equally guarding us against the pride of some, who imagine themselves 
to have apprehended all the truth ; and the wilful ignorance of others, who 
pronounce spiritual knowledge to be altogether unattainable. 

Now, if the Apostle Paul could but imperfectly discern the depths of 
evangelical truth, and if angels themselves " desire to look into these 
things," 1 Pet. i, 12, who can sufficiently wonder at the presumption of 
those men, who are so far persuaded of their own infallibility that they 
regard all truths which they are unable to fathom as the mere reveries 
of fanaticism ? But, turning our eyes at present from the pernicious error 
of these self-exalted Christians, let us consider a subject in which we are 
more interested than in the extraordinary vocation of St. Paul to the holy 
ministry. 



22 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL, 

REFLECTIONS 

Upon the ordinary vocation to the holy ministry, 

" The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few : pray ye, 
therefore, the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into 
his harvest," Matt, ix, 37, 38. Retaining in memory these remarkable 
words of our Lord, the conscientious man is incapable of thrusting him- 
self into the holy ministry, without being first duly called thereto by the 
Lord of the harvest, the great " Shepherd and Bishop of souls." 

The minister of the present age is not ordinarily called to the holy 
ministry, except by carnal motives, such as his own vanity, or his pecu- 
liar taste for a tranquil and indolent life. Perhaps his vocation to the 
ministry is principally from his father and mother, who have determined 
that their son shall enter into holy orders. Very frequently if the can- 
didate for holy orders had sincerity enough to discover the real inclina- 
tion of his heart, he might make his submissions to the dignitaries of our 
Church, and say, " Put me, I pray you, into one of the priest's offices. 
that I may eat a piece of bread," 1 Sam. ii, 36. 

It is not thus with the real believer who consecrates himself to the 
holy ministry. He is not ignorant that " Christ glorified himself to be 
made a high priest :" and he is perfectly assured that no man has a 
right to take upon himself the sacerdotal dignity " but he that is called 
of God," either in an extraordinary manner, as Aaron and St. Paul, or 
at least in an ordinary manner, as Apollos and Timothy, Heb. v, 4, 5. 
As it is a matter of the utmost importance to understand by what tokens 
this ordinary vocation to the holy ministry may be discovered, the fol- 
lowing reflections upon so interesting a subject may not be altogether 
superfluous : — 

If a young man of virtuous manners is deeply penetrated with this 
humiliating truth, " All have sinned and come short of the glory of God," 
Rom. iii, 23 : if, farther, he is effectually convinced of this consolatory 
truth, " God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that 
whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life," 
John iii, 16 : if his natural talents have been strengthened by a liberal 
education : if the pleasure of doing good is sweeter to him than all the 
pleasures of sense : if the hope of " converting sinners from the error of 
their way" occupies his mind more agreeably than the idea of acquiring 
all the advantages of fortune : if the honour of publishing the Gospel is 
superior in his eyes to the honour of becoming the ambassador of an 
earthly prince : in short, if by a desire which springs from the fear of 
God, the love of Christ, and the concern he takes in the salvation of his 
neighbour, he is led to consecrate himself to the holy ministry : if, in the 
order of Providence, outward circumstances concur with his own designs; 
and if he solicits the grace and assistance of God with greater eagerness 
than he seeks the outward vocation from his superiors in the Church by 
the imposition of hands ; he may then satisfy himself, that the great 
High Priest of the Christian profession has set him apart for the high 
office to which he aspires. 

When, after serious examination, any student in theology discovers 
in himself the necessary dispositions mentioned above ; then having 
received imposition of hands, with faith and humility, from the pastors 



THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAtJL. 23 

who preside in the Church, he may solidly conclude that he has been 
favoured with the ordinary vocation. Hence, looking up to the source 
•of the important office with which he is honoured, he can adopt with 
propriety the language of St. Paul : " I thank Jesus Christ our Lord> 
for that he hath counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry," 
1 Tim. i, 12. "Though I preach the Gospel, I have nothing to glory 
of; for necessity is laid upon roe, yea, wo is unto me if I preach not 
the Gospel;" for then I should be found unfaithful to my vocation, 
1 Cor. ix, 16. " God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself 
and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we 
are ambassadors for Christ," 2 Cor. v, 19, 20. And if he becomes 
not like that " wicked and slothful servant," who refused to administer 
to the necessities of his master's household, he will be able, at all times, 
to say, " Therefore, seeing we have this ministry, as we have received 
mercy, we faint not: but have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, 
not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully, but 
by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's 
conscience in the sight of God," 2 Cor. iv, 1, 2. 

A person of this description, searching the depths of the human 
heart, of which he has acquired a competent knowledge by the study 
of his own, meditating with attention upon the proofs, and with humility 
upon the mysteries of our holy religion, giving himself up to the study 
of Divine things, and, above all, to prayer and to good works ; such a 
pastor may reasonably hope to grow in grace, and in the knowledge of 
that powerful Saviour, whom he earnestly proclaims to others. Nor 
is it probable that such a one will labour altogether in vain. Gradually 
instructed in the things which concern the kingdom of God, he will 
become like the father of a family, bringing forth out of his treasures 
things new and old : and whether he speaks of the old man, the earthly 
nature, which he has put off with such extreme pain, or the new man, 
the heavenly nature, which he has put on with equal joy, Ephes. iv, 
22, 24, he will speak with a conviction so powerful, and a persuasion 
so constraining, that the careless must necessarily be alarmed, and the 
faithful encouraged. 



TRAIT V. 

His entire devotion to Jesus Christ. 

The true Christian, called to become a disciple of the blessed Jesus, 
rather than refuse the offered privilege, renounces his all. If this 
token of devotion to Christ is discernible in the character of every true 
Christian, it is still more conspicuous in the character of every true 
minister. Such a person inwardly called by the grace of God to a 
state of discipleship with Christ, and outwardly consecrated to such a 
state by the imposition of hands, gives himself unreservedly up to the 
service of his condescending Master. He withstands no longer that 
permanent command of our exalted Lord, to which his first disciples 
showed so cheerful a submission, " Follow me." Nor is he discouraged, 
while Christ continues, " If any man will come after me, let him deny 
himself, take up his cross, and follow me," Matt, xvi, 24. " No man 



24 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAIL. 

having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the king- 
dom of God," Luke ix, 62. " He that loveth father or mother, son or 
daughter, more than me, is not worthy of me." He that findeth his 
life shall lose it : and he that loseth his life for my sake, shall find it," 
Matt, x, 37-39. If there be found any pastor who cannot adopt the 
solemn appeal of the first ministers of Christ, " Lo, we have left all, 
and followed thee," Luke xviii, 28, that man is in no situation to copy 
the example of his forerunners in the Christian Church, and is altogether 
unworthy the character he bears ; since without this detachment from 
the world, and this devotion to the Son of God, he flatters himself in 
vain, that he is either a true minister or a real member of Jesus Christ, 

Observe the declaration of one whose attachment to his Divine 
Master deserves to be had in everlasting remembrance : " Those things 
which were gain to me, I counted loss for Christ. Yea, doubtless, and 
I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ 
Jesus my Lord for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do 
count them but dung, that I may win Christ and be found in him, having 
the righteousness which is of God by faith," Phil, iii, 7, 8, 9. " For 
none of us," true Christians or true ministers, " liveth to himself, or 
dieth to himself; but whether we live, we live unto the Lord ; and 
whether we die, we die unto the Lord," Rom. xiv, 7, 8. 

Professing to be either a minister or a believer of the Gospel with- 
out this entire devotion to Jesus Christ is to live in a state of the most 
dangerous hypocrisy : it is neither more nor less than saying, Lord ! 
Lord ! without having a firm resolution to do what our gracious Master 
has commanded* 



TRAIT VI. 
His strength and Ms arms. 

The ministers of the present age are furnished in a manner suitable 
to their design. As they are more desirous to please than to convert 
their hearers, so they are peculiarly anxious to embellish the inventions 
of a seducing imagination. They are continually seeking after the 
beauty of metaphors, the brilliancy of antitheses, the delicacy of descrip- 
tion the just arrangement of words, the aptness of gesture, the modula- 
tions of voice, and every other studied ornament of artificial eloquence. 
While the true minister, effectually convinced of the excellence of the 
Gospel, relies alone for the effect of his public ministry upon the force 
of truth, and the assistance of his Divine Master. 

Observe the manner in which St. Paul expresses himself upon this 
subject : " We, having the same spirit of faith according as it is written, 
I believed and therefore have I spoken ; we also believe, and therefore 
speak, 2 Cor. iv, 13. And I, brethren, came not with excellency of 
speech, or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God : for I 
determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and 
him crucified. And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing 
words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power : 
that your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power 
of God," 1 Cor. ii, 1-5 " For the weapons of our warfare are not 



^HE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 25 

carnal, but mighty, through God, to the pulling down of strong holds : 
casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself 
against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity eveiy thought 
to the obedience of Christ," 2 Cor. x, 4, 5. 

The true minister, following the example of St. Paul, after having 
experienced the power of these victorious arms, exhorts every soldier 
of Christ to provide himself with the same spiritual weapons. " Finally, 
my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 
Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand. For 
we wrestle not merely against flesh and blood, but against principalities, 
against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against 
spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the 
whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, 
and having done all, to stand. Stand, therefore, having your loins girt 
about with truth, having on the breastplate of righteousness, and your 
feet shod with the preparation of the Gospel of peace : above all, 
taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the 
liery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the 
sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." And that you may 
perform heroical service with these arms, " pray always with all prayer 
and supplication in the Spirit," Eph. vi, 10-18. 

So long as the faithful minister, or servant of Christ wears and wields 
these Scriptural arms, he will be truly invincible. But no man can gird 
himself with these invisible weapons, except he " be born of the Spirit ;" 
nor can any Christian soldier employ them to good purpose, unless he 
be first endued with all that Divine power which flows from the love of 
God and man : he must feel, at least, some sparks of that fire of charity 
which warmed the bosom of St. Paul, when he cried out, " Whether we 
be beside ourselves, it is to God : or whether we be sober, it is for your 
cause. Forthe loveof Christand of souls constraineth us," 2 Cor. v, 13,14. 

" From the time that the eyes of St. Paul were opened to a perception 
of the Gospel," says Mons. Romilly, pastor of a church in Geneva, " we 
find him no longer the same person. He is another man, he is a new 
creature who thinks no more but on Gospel truths, who hears nothing, 
who breathes nothing but the Gospel ; who speaks on no other subject, 
who attends to no other thing but the voice of the Gospel ; who desires 
all the world to attend with him to the same voice, and wishes to com- 
municate his transports to all mankind. From this happy period, neither 
the prejudices of flesh and blood, neither respect to man, nor the fear 
of death, nor any other consideration is able to withstand him in his 
course. He moves on with serenity in a path sown thick with re- 
proaches and pain. What has he to fear ? He despises the maxims 
of the world, nay, the world itself; its hatred as well as its favour, its 
joys as well as its sorrows, its meanness as well as its pomp. Time is 
no longer an object with him, nor is his economy regulated by it. He 
is superior to every thing ; he is immortal. Though the universe arms 
itself against him, though hell opens its abysses, though affliction assaults 
him on every side, he stands immovable in every storm, looking with 
contempt upon death, conscious that he can never die. Superior to ail 
his enemies, he resists their united attempts with the arms of the Gospel, 
opposing, to time and hell, eternity and heaven" 



26 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 



TRAIT VII. 
His power to bind, to loose, and to bless, in the name of the Lord. 

The armour of God, described in the preceding article is common to 
all Christians ; but the true minister is girded with weapons of a peculiar 
temper. As a Christian, his sword is the word of God in general ; but, 
as a minister, it is especially those parts of the Gospel by which he is 
invested with authority to preach the word of God. and to perform the 
functions of an ambassador of Jesus Christ. "Go," said our blessed 
Master to his first disciples, " and preach the Gospel to every creature. 
He that believeth my doctrine shall be saved : but he that believeth not 
shall be damned," Mark xvi, 15, 16. "All power is given unto me in 
heaven and in earth. Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing 
them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost ; 
teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you. 
And lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world," Matt. 
xxviii, 18. "Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that receiveth whom- 
soever I send, receiveth me ; and he that receiveth me, receiveth Him 
that sent me," John xiii, 20. " Verily I say unto you, whatsoever ye 
shall bind on earth, shall be bound in heaven ; and whatsoever ye shall 
loose on earth," according to the spirit of my Gospel, " shall be loosed 
in heaven," Matt, xviii, 18. 

Behold from whence the ministers of Christ have authority to absolve 
true penitents, and to excommunicate obstinate sinners. An authority 
which some have called the power of the clergy ; a power which un- 
righteous pastors so much abuse, and which the faithful never presume 
to exercise but with the utmost solemnity : a power which, nevertheless, 
belongs to them of Divine right, and which can be denied them with no 
more reason than they can refuse the sacramental cup to the people. 
Such, at least, is the judgment of many excellent and learned divines, 
among whom may be reckoned Mons. Ostervald and Mons. Roques. 
It may, however, be inquired with propriety in this place, Can eccle- 
siastics be justified in still making use of their authority in these respects, 
unless they do it with prudence and impartiality? And would it not 
become them to exercise the ecclesiastical discipline, in an especial 
manner, upon unworthy pastors, following the maxim of St. Peter, " The 
time is come, that judgment must begin at the house of God !" 1 Pet. iv, 17. 

Invested with the authority which Christ has conferred upon him, the 
true minister is prepared to denounce the just judgments of God against 
obstinate sinners, to console the dejected, and to proclaim the promises 
of the Gospel to every sincere believer, with an energy unknown to the 
worldly pastor, and with a power which is accompanied by the seal of 
the living God. Thus, when such a minister clearly discerns the pro- 
found malice of another Elymas, he is permitted to say, with the autho- 
rity of an ambassador of Jesus Christ, " O full of all subtlety and all 
mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt 
thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord ? Behold ! the 
hand of the Lord shall be upon thee," Acts xiii, 10, 11. But the true 
minister is careful never to abuse this lawful power. "We can do 
nothing," says St. Paul, " against the truth, but for the truth ; I write 



THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 27 

these things being absent, lest being present I should use harshness, 
according to the power which the Lord hath given me to edification, and 
not to destruction," 2 Cor. xiii, 8, 10. The denunciation of vengeance 
is to the minister of Christ what the execution of judgment is to the God 
of love, his painful and strange work. 

The good pastor, conscious that the ministration of mercy exceeds in 
glory the ministration of condemnation, places his chief glory and plea- 
sure in spreading abroad the blessings of the new covenant. He knows 
that the promises are yea, and amen, in that beneficent Redeemer, who 
gave the following charge to his first missionaries : " Into whatsoever 
house ye enter, first say, Peace be to this house. And if the son of 
peace be there, your peace shall rest upon him : if not, it shall turn to 
you again," Luke x, 5, 6. The wishes and prayers of a minister who 
acts and speaks in conformity to the intent of this benign charge, really 
communicate the peace and benediction of his gracious Master to those 
who are meet for their reception : and, according to the degree of his 
faith, he can write to the faithful of distant Churches with the confidence 
of St. Paul, — I am persuaded that " when I come unto you, I shall come 
in the fulness of the blessing of the Gospel of Christ," Rom. xv, 29. 
Whenever he salutes his brethren, his pen or his lips become the chan- 
nel of those evangelical wishes which flow from his heart: "Grace be 
unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus 
Christ," Phil, i, 2. " The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love 
of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all," 2 Cor. 
xiii, 14. Thus the true minister approves himself a member of the 
royal priesthood, a priest of the Most High, " after the order of Mel- 
chisedec," who blessed the Patriarch Abraham : or rather, a ministering 
servant of the Son of God, who was manifested in the flesh, that " in 
him all the families of the earth might be blessed." 

Great God ! grant that the whole company of Christian pastors may 
be men after thine own heart. Leaving to the ignorant those compli- 
ments which a slavish dependence has invented, may thy ministers 
perpetually carry about them the love, the gravity, and the apostolic 
authority, which belongs to their sacred character. May all the bene- 
dictions which thou hast commissioned them to pronounce, cause them 
still to be received " as angels of God," Gal. iv, 14. Far from being 
despised as hypocrites, shunned as troublesome guests, or feared as men 
of a covetous and tyrannical disposition, may that moment always be 
esteemed a happy one, in which they enter any man's habitation : and 
whenever they make their appearance upon these charitable occasions, 
may those who compose the family, each seeking to give the first salute, 
cry out, " How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the Gospel of 
peace !" Rom. x, 1-5. 

The power of pronouncing exhortations and blessings is not the ex- 
clusive privilege of pastors, but belongs to all experienced believers. 
The patriarchs had a right to bless their children ; and Jacob blessed 
not only his sons and grandsons, but also the king of Egypt himself. If 
the followers of Christ, then, are deprived of this consolatory power, the 
children of ancient Israel were more highly privileged than the members 
of the Christian Church, who are called, nevertheless, to receive more 
precious benedictions, and to be, as our Lord expresses it, " the salt of 



28 THE FORTH AIT OF ST. PAUL. 

the earth," and " the light of the world." When St. Paul writes to be- 
lievers, " Desire spiritual gifts ; but rather that ye may prophesy : for 
he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, to exhortation, and 
comfort," 1 Cor. xiv, 1, 3, he doubtless excites them to ask of God that 
overflowing charity, and that patriarchal authority, without which it is 
impossible for them fully to comply with the following apostolic injunc- 
tion, " Bless and curse not, knowing that ye are thereunto called, that 
ye should inherit, a blessing ;" and without a high degree of which they 
cannot sincerely obey those distinguished precepts of our blessed Lord, 
" Love your enemies ; do good to them that hate you ; and pray for them 
which despitefully use you, and persecute you," Rom. xii, 14; 1 Pet. 
iii, 9 ; Matt, v, 44. 



TRAIT VIII. 

The earnestness with which he began, and continued to fiU up tlie duties of 

his vocation. 

The true penitent, having renounced himself for the honour of following 
his exalted Lord, stands faithfully in his own vocation, whether it be secu- 
lar or ecclesiastic. He is prepared, upon all occasions, to perform the will 
of his gracious Master : and if he is commissioned to act as a minister 
of Christ, after furnishing himself with "the whole armour of God," he 
will expose himself, without fear, to the most threatening dangers, that 
he may compel sinners to come in to the marriage supper of the Lamb. 
"I rejoice," saith St. Paul, "in my sufferings for the body of Christ, 
which is the Church, whereof I am made a minister, according to the 
dispensation of God which is given to me for you to fulfil the word of 
God ; even the mystery, which hath been hid from ages, but which is 
now made manifest to his saints ; to whom God would make known 
what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which 
is Christ in you, the hope of glory ; whom we preach, warning every 
man, and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every 
man perfect in Christ Jesus ; whereunto I also labour, striving accord- 
ing to his working which worketh in me mightily. For I would that ye 
knew what great conflict I have for you," and for all those among whom 
the word of God is preached, " that their hearts might be comforted, 
being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of 
understanding to the acknowledgment of the mystery of God, even of 
the Father and of Christ ; in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom 
and knowledge," Col. i, 24, 29 ; ii, 1, 2, 3. 

Such are the great ideas which the Apostle Paul entertained of the 
ministry he had received ; and observe the assiduity with which he dis- 
charged the duties of so important an office : " Ye know," says he, 
speaking to the pastors, to whom he committed the care of one of his 
flocks, " from the first day that I came into Asia, after what manner I 
have been with you at all seasons, serving the Lord with all humility of 
mind, and with many tears and temptations : and how I kept back 
nothing that was profitable unto you, but have showed you, and have 
taught you publicly, and from house to house, testifying both to the 
J©ws, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God and faith toward 



THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 29 

our Lord Jesus Christ. Wherefore I take you to record this day that 

1 am pure from the blood of all men. For I have not shunned to declare 
unto you all the counsel of God. Take heed, therefore, unto yourselves; 
for I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves," unfaith- 
ful pastors, " enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Therefore, 
watch ; and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to 
warn every one night and day with tears," Acts xx, 18, 31. In every 
place he discharged the obligations of a minister with the same applica- 
tion and zeal, travelling from city to city, and from church to church, 
bearing testimony to " the redemption that is in Jesus," and declaring 
the great truths of the Gospel. When the synagogues were shut against 
him, he preached in the schools of philosophers, upon the sea shore, on 
shipboard, and even in prisons ; and while he dwelt a prisoner in his 
own house at Rome, " he received all that came in unto him, to whom he 
expounded and testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concern- 
ing Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets, from 
morning till evening," Acts xxviii, 23. 

Thus the Son of God himself once publicly laboured for the conver- 
sion of sinners, sometimes going through all "Galileo, teaching in their 
synagogues, and preaching the Gospel," Matt, vi, 31. And at other 
times instructing the multitudes, who either followed him into the fields, 
or resorted to the house where he lodged ; " for there were many com- 
ing and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat," Mark vi, 31. 
And when, through the pleasure of bringing the Samaritans acquainted 
with spiritual truth, he disregarded the necessities of nature, his disci- 
ples requesting him to partake of the food they had prepared, received 
from him this memorable answer : " I have meat to eat that ye know 
not of: my meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his 
work," viz. the glorious work of enlightening and saving of sinners, 
John iv, 31, 34. 

Thus St. Paul was diligently and daily occupied in fulfilling the duties 
of his apostolic vocation; and thus every minister of the Gospel is called 
to labour in his appointed sphere. It remains to be known, whether all 
who do not labour, according to their ability, are not condemned by the 
following general rule : " If any will not work, neither should he eat," 

2 Thess. iii, 10. For these words signify, applied to the present case, 
that they who will not labour as pastors, should by no means be permit- 
ted to eat the bread of pastors ; an evangelical precept this, which 
deserves the strictest attention, as the bread of pastors is, in some sort, 
sacred bread, since it is that which the piety of the public has set apart for 
the support of those who have abandoned every worldly pursuit, that they 
might dedicate themselves freely and fully to the service of the Church. 



TRAIT IX. 

The manner in which lie divided his time between prayer, preaching, and 

thanksgiving. 

The minister of the present age is but seldom engaged in publishing 
to his people the truths of the Gospel ; and still more rarely in suppli- 
cating for them the possession of those blessings which the Gospel pro- 



30 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 

poses. It is chiefly before men that he lifts up his hands, and affects 
to pour out a prayer from the fulness of his heart ; while the true minis- 
ter divides his time between the two important and refreshing occupa- 
tions of preaching and prayer ; by the former, making a public offer of 
Divine grace to his hearers, and by the latter, soliciting for them in 
secret the experience of that grace. Such was the manner of the 
blessed Jesus himself, who, after having reproved his disciples for the 
low degree of their faith, retired either into gardens, or upon mountains, 
praying that their " faith might not fail." The good pastor, who con- 
stantly imitates the example of his Divine Master, is prepared to adopt 
the following language of St. Paul, in addressing the flock upon which 
he is immediately appointed to attend : " For this cause I bow my knees 
unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in 
heaven and earth is named, that he would grant you, according to the 
riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the 
inner man ; that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith ; that ye, being 
rooted and grounded in love, may be filled with all the fulness of God," 
Eph. iii, 14, 19. "And this I pray, that your love may abound more 
and more in knowledge, and in all judgment ; that ye may approve 
things that are excellent ; that ye may be sincere and without offence 
till the day of Christ ; being filled with the fruits of righteousness, 
which are, by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God," Phil. 
i, 9, 11. By prayers, like these, the Apostle Paul was accustomed 
to water, without ceasing, the heavenly seed which he had so widely 
scattered through the vineyard of his Lord, manifesting an increas- 
ing attachment to those among whom he had at any time published 
the tidings of salvation, and breathing out, in all his epistles to distant 
Churches, the most earnest desire that God would "fulfil" in them 
" all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with 
power ; that the name of the Lord Jesus Christ might be glorified in 
them, and they in him," 2 Thess. i, 11, 12. 

Pastors who pray thus for their flocks, pray not in vain. Their fer- 
vent petitions are heard ; sinners are converted, the faithful are edified, 
and thanksgiving is shortly joined to supplication. Thus the same 
apostle : " I thank my God always on your behalf for the grace of God 
which is given you by Jesus Christ : that in eveiy thing ye are enriched 
by him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge. So that ye come behind 
in no gift, waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ," 1 Cor. i, 
4, 7. " Having heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and your love 
unto all the saints, I cease not to give thanks for you," Eph. i, 15, 16. 

Worldly ministers have no experience of the holy joy that accompa- 
nies these secret sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving. But this can by 
no means be considered as matter of astonishment. Is their attachment 
to Christ as sincere as that of his faithful ministers ? Are they as solicit- 
ous for the salvation of their hearers 1 Do they teach and preach with 
equal zeal ? Do they pray with the same ardour and perseverance ? 



THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 31 



TRAIT X. 



The fidelity wiifi which he announced the severe tlireatenings and consola- 
tory promises of the Gospel. 

The worldly minister has neither the courage nor the tenderness of 
the true pastor. He is fearful of publishing those truths which are calcu- 
lated to alarm the careless sinner ; and he knows not in what manner 
to apply the promises of the Gospel for the relief of those who mourn. 
If ever he attempts to descant upon the consolatory truths of the Gospel, 
he only labours to explain what is nearly unintelligible, to himself; and 
all his discourses on subjects of this nature are void of that earnest per- 
suasion, and that unction of love which characterize the ministers of 
Christ. On the other hand, his dread of giving offence will not suffer 
him to address sinners of every rank with the holy boldness of the Pro- 
phet Samuel : " If ye will not obey the voice of the Lord, but rebel 
against the commandment of the Lord, then shall the hand of the Lord 
be against you. If ye still do wickedly, ye shall be consumed," 
1 Sam. xii, 15, 25. The faithful pastor, on the contrary, conscious that 
the harshest truths of the Gospel are as necessary as they are offensive, 
courageously insists upon them, in the manner of St. Paul, " Thinkest 
thou, O man, that doest such things, that thou shalt escape the judgment 
of God ?" Know this, that " after thy hardness and impenitent heart 
thou treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath, and revela- 
tion of the righteous judgment of God :" for " indignation and wrath, 
tribulation and anguish shall be upon every soul of man that doeth evil," 
Rom. ii, 3, 5, 9. " If every transgression," under the first covenant, 
" received a just recompense of reward, how shall we escape if we 
neglect so great salvation, which at the first begun to be spoken by the 
Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him ?" Heb. ii, 2, 3. 
" This ye know, that no unclean person, nor covetous man, hath any 
inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God : let no man deceive 
you with vain words ; for because of these things cometh the wrath of 
God upon the children of disobedience," Eph. v, 5, 6. " See that ye 
refuse not him that speaketh ; for if they escaped not, who refused him 
that spake on earth," viz. the Prophet Moses ; " much more shall not 
we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven," viz. 
the Saviour Jesus Christ. " Wherefore let us serve God acceptably, 
with reverence and godly fear : for our God is a consuming fire," Heb. 
xii, 25, 29. 

But though the true minister courageously announces the most severe 
declarations of the word to the unbelieving and the impenitent ; yet he is 
never so truly happy, as when he invites the poor in spirit to draw forth 
the riches of grace from the treasury of God's everlasting love. " God 
hath not," saith St. Paul, " appointed us to wrath ; but to obtain salvation 
by our Lord Jesus Christ," 1 Thess. v, 9. " This is a faithful saying, and 
worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save 
sinners," 1 Tim. i, 15. "Ye are not come unto the mount that burned with 
fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest. But ye are come unto 
Mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, and to Jesus the Media- 
tor of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh 



32 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. TAUL. 

better things than that of Abel. Having, therefore, brethren, boldness to 
enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, and having a High Priest 
over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart, in full assur- 
ance of faith," Heb. xii, 18, 24; x, 19, 22. "If, when we were 
enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, 
being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. He that spared not his 
own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also 
freely give us all things ? Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's 
elect ? It is God that justifieth : who is he that condemneth ? It is Christ 
that died, yea, rather that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of 
God, who also maketh intercession for us," Rom. v, 10 ; viii, 32, 34. 

When these exhilarating declarations are found insufficient " to revive 
the heart of the contrite," the evangelical preacher fails not to multiply 
them in the most sympathizing and affectionate manner. "I say unto 
you," continues he, " all manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven 
unto men : for the blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth from all sin," Matt, xii, 
31 ; 1 John i, 7. "And by him all, who believe, are justified from all 
things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses," Acts 
xiu, 39. " There is, therefore, now no condemnation to them which are 
in Christ Jesus," Rom. viii, 1 : " for where sin abounded, grace did much 
more abound," Rom. v, 20. 

Such are the cordials which the faithful evangelist administers to those 
who are weary and heavy laden : precious cordials which the worldly 
pastor can never effectually apply ; which he either employs out of sea- 
son, or renders useless by such additions of his own, as are contrary to 
the spirit of the Gospel. 



TRAIT XL 
His profound humility. 

There is no evil disposition of the heart, with which the clergy are so 
frequently reproached, as pride. And it is with reason that we oppose 
this sinful temper, especially when it appears in pastors, since it is so 
entirely contrary to the spirit of the Gospel, that the Apostle Paul 
emphatically terms it, " The condemnation of the devil," 1 Tim. iii, 6. 

There is no amiable disposition which our Lord more strongly recom- 
mended to his followers, than lowliness of mind. From his birth to his 
death, he gave himself a striking example of the most profound humility, 
joined to the most ardent charity. After having washed the feet of his 
first disciples, that is, after he had taken the place of a slave at their feet, 
he addressed them as follows : — " Know ye what I have done unto you ? 
Ye call me Master and Lord : and ye say well ; for so I am. If I then, 
your Lord and Master, have washed your feet ; ye also ought to wash 
one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should 
do as I have done to you. Verily, verily, I say unto you, the servant is 
not greater than his Lord ; neither he that is sent, greater than he that 
sent him," John xiii, 12-16. Again he says to the same effect, Ye 
know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and 
they that are great exercise authority upon them. But it shall not be so 
among you : but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your 



THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 33 

minister : and whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your 
servant : even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to 
minister," Mark x, 42 ; ii, 45. 

Real Christianity is the school of humble charity, in which every true 
minister can say, with Christ, according to Ins growth in grace, " Learn 
of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart ; and ye shall find rest unto your 
souls." And unhappy will it be for those who, reversing Christianity, 
say, by their example, winch is more striking than all their discourses, 
" Learn of us to be fierce and revengeful, at the expense of peace both at 
home and abroad." They who receive the stipends of ministers, while they 
are thus endeavouring to subvert the religion they profess to support, ren- 
der themselves guilty, not only of hypocrisy, but of a species of sacrilege. 

It is supposed that St. Peter had the pre-eminence among the apostles, 
at least by his age : it is certain that he spake in the name of the other 
apostles, that he first confessed Christ in two public orations ; that our 
Lord conferred particular favours upon him ; that he was permitted to be 
one of the three witnesses of his Master's transfiguration and agony; and 
that on the day of pentecost he proved the power of his apostolic com- 
mission, by introducing three thousand souls at once into the kingdom of 
Christ. Far, however, from arrogating, upon these accounts, a spiritual 
supremacy over his brethren, he assumed no other title but that which 
was given in common to all his fellow labourers in the ministry : " The 
elders which are among you," says he, " I exhort, who am also an elder : 
feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, 
not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind : neither as being lords over 
God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock," 1 Peter v, 1, 3. A 
piece of advice this, which is too much neglected by those prelates who 
distinguish themselves from their brethren, yet more by an anti-christian 
pride, than by those ecclesiastical dignities to which they have made 
their way by the intrigues of ambition. 

All pastors should seek after humility with so much the greater con- 
cern, since some among them, seduced with the desire of distinguishing 
themselves as persons of eminence in the Church, after making certain 
ecclesiastical laws contrary to the word of God, have become persecutors 
of those who refused submission to their tyrannical authority. Observe 
here the injustice of some modern philosophers, who, misrepresenting 
the Christian religion, a religion which breathes nothing but humility and 
love, set it forth as the cause of all the divisions, persecutions, and mas- 
sacres, which have ever been fomented or perpetrated by its corrupt 
professors. Disasters, which, far from being the produce of real Chris- 
tianity, have their principal source in the vices of a supercilious, uncha- 
ritable, and anti-christian clergy. 

The Church will always be exposed to these imputations, till every 
ecclesiastic shall imitate St. Paul, as he imitated Christ. That apostle, 
ever anxious to tread in the steps of his Divine Master, was peculiarly 
distinguished by his humility to God and man. Ever ready to confess 
his own native poverty, and to magnify the riches of his grace, he cries 
out, " Who is sufficient for these things ?" Who is properly qualified to 
discharge all the functions of the holy ministry ? " Such trust have we in 
Christ to Godward : not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any 
thing as of ourselves ; but our sufficiency is of God, who also hath made 

Vol. III. 3 



34 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 

us able ministers of the New Testament : not of the letter, but of the 
Spirit ; for the letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth life," 2 Cor. ii, 16 ; iii, 
4, 6. "Who is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye 
believed, even as the Lord gave to every man ? I have planted, Apollos 
watered ; but God gave the increase. So then, neither is he that planteth 
any thing, neither he that watereth : but God that giveth the increase," 

1 Cor. iii, 5, 7. " I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be 
called an apostle : but by the grace of God I am what I am," 1 Cor. xv, 9. 
" God hath shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the 
glory of God, in the face of Jesus Christ : but we have this treasure in 
earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not 
of us," 2 Cor. iv, 6, 7. 

If the humility of St. Paul is strikingly evident in these remarkable 
passages, it is still more strongly expressed in those that follow : — " Ye 
see, brethren, that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, 
not many noble are called. But God hath chosen the foolish things of 
the world to confound the wise, and the weak things of the world to con- 
found the things which are mighty ; and base things of the world, and 
things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are 
not, to bring to nought things that are : that no flesh should glory in his 
presence," 1 Cor. i, 26, 29. " Unto me who am less than the least of 
all saints, who am nothing, who am the chief of sinners, is this grace 
given, that I should preach the unsearchable riches of Christ," Eph. iii, 2 j 

2 Cor. xii ; I Tim. i, 15. 

Reader, if thou hast that opinion of thyself, winch is expressed in the 
foregoing passages, thou art an humble Christian. Thou canst truly 
profess thyself the servant of all those who salute thee ; thou art such 
already by thy charitable intentions, and art seeking occasions of demon- 
strating, by actual services, that thy tongue is the organ, not of an insi- 
dious politeness, but of a sincere heart. Like a true disciple of Christ, 
who concealed himself when the multitude would have raised him to a 
throne, and who presented himself, when they came to drag him to his 
cross, thou hast a sacred pleasure in humbling thyself before God and 
man, and art anxious, without hypocrisy or affectation, to take the lowest 
place among thy brethren. 

The humble Christian, convinced of his wants and his weakness, feels 
it impossible to act like those proud and bashful poor, who will rather 
perish in their distress, than solicit the assistance of their brethren. St. 
Paul had nothing of this false modesty about him. Penetrated with a 
deep sense of his un worthiness and insufficiency, after imploring far him- 
self the gracious assistance of God, he thus humbly solicits the prayers of 
all the faithful : — " Brethren, pray for us," 1 Thess. v, 25. " I beseech 
you, brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ's sake, and for the love of the 
Spirit, that ye strive together in your prayers for me," Rom. xv, 30. 
" Pray always for all saints ; and for me, that utterance may be given 
me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of 
the Gospel, for which I am an ambassador in bonds : that therein I may 
speak boldly as I ought to speak," Eph. vi, 18, 19. "You also [con- 
tinuing] to help by prayer for us, that for the gift bestowed upon us by 
the means of many persons, thanks may be given by many on our 
behalf," 2 Cor. i, 11. 



THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 35 

Thus humility, or poverty of spirit, which is set forth by Christ as the 
first beatitude, leads us, by prayer, to all the benedictions of the Gospel, 
and to that lively gratitude which gives birth to thanksgiving and joy. 
Lovely humility ! penetrate the hearts of all Christians, animate every 
pastor, give peace to the Church, and happiness to the universe. 



TRAIT XII. 

The ingenuous manner in which he acknowledged and repaired his errors. 

It is difficult for a proud man to confess himself in an error : but they 
who are possessed of humility and love can make such an acknowledg- 
ment with cheerfulness. When St. Paul was called upon to justify his 
conduct before the tribunal of the Jews, the same spirit of resentment 
which animated his persecutors suddenly seized upon the more passion- 
ate of his judges, when the high priest, still more exasperated than the 
rest, commanded them who stood near Paul "to smite him on the mouth." 
It was in that moment of surprise and indignation that the apostle, unac- 
quainted with the author of so indecent a proceeding, and not imagining 
that the president of an august assembly could so far forget his own dig- 
nity as to act with so reprehensible an impetuosity, gave this sharp reply 
to so unjust an order . " God shall smite thee, thou whited wall ; for sit- 
test thou to judge me after the law, and commandest me to be smitten 
contrary to the law ?" Immediately those who stood by, reproaching him 
with his apparent disrespectful carriage, inquired with the utmost indig- 
nation, *< Revilest thou God's high priest ?" Here the apostle, far from 
justifying his own conduct in resenting the severity of a judge who had 
degraded himself by an act of the most flagrant injustice, immediately 
acknowledged his error : and lest the example he had given should 
encourage any person to withhold the respect due to a magistrate, still 
more respectable by his office than blamable by his rigorous proceed- 
ings, he endeavoured to make instant reparation for his involuntary 
offence, by citing a penitent passage from the law, answering with all 
meekness : " I wist not, brethren, that he was the high priest : for it is 
written, Thou shalt not speak evil of the ruler of thy people," Acts 
xxiii, 2, 5. 

There is another instance of the indiscretion and candour of this apos- 
tie. Paul and Barnabas going forth to publish the Gospel, took for their 
companion John Mark, the nephew of Barnabas. The young evangelist, 
however, staggered by the dangers which those apostles were constantly 
obliged to encounter, forsook them at Pamphilia in the midst of their 
painful labours. But afterward, repenting of his former irresolution, he 
offered to accompany them in another journey. Barnabas, who had 
charity enough to hope all things of his nephew, wished to afford him 
a second trial : while Paul, whose prudence taught him to fear every 
thing from a young man who had already given an indisputable proof of 
his inconstancy, refused his consent. At length the two apostles, unable 
to decide the matter to their mutual satisfaction, took the resolution of 
separating one from another. Paul went to preach the Gospel in Syria 
with Silas ; while Barnabas, accompanied by his nephew, proceeded to 
proclaim Christ in the isle of Cyprus. Thus the separation of true 



36 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. TAI7L. 

Christians, without producing any schism in the Church, frequently tends 
to the propagation of the Gospel. 

Time alone could determine whether Barnabas was deceived by an 
abundance of charity, or St. Paul through an excess of prudence. The 
event turned the balance in favour of the judgment of Barnabas ; the 
conduct of John Mark on this second mission was irreproachable. From 
that time, St. Paul, with his usual candour, forgetting the former instability 
of Mark, placed the utmost confidence in him, received him with joy as 
the companion of his labours, revoked the order he had formerly given 
respecting him, and recommended him to the Churches as a faithful 
minister. Thus much may be inferred from the following passage in 
his epistle to the Colossians : " Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, saluteth 
you, and Marcus, sister's son to Barnabas, touching whom ye received 
commandments ; if he come unto you, receive him," Col. iv, 10. 

Thus the sincere followers of Christ are ever anxious to repair the* . 
involuntary faults : faults which we, as well as the apostles, are always 
exposed to the commission of, and which should constrain us to say, 
with St. Paul, " Now we know" things and persons " in part." This 
imperfection in our knowledge will sometimes produce errors in our 
judgment, and those errors may probably influence our conduct. But, 
if in these failings there be no mixture of malice ; if we sin through igno- 
rance, and in the integrity of our hearts, God imputes not to us those 
errors ; provided that we are always prepared, like St. Paul, to confess 
and repair them. To err is the lot of humanity : obstinacy in error is the 
character of a demon : but humbly to acknowledge, and anxiously to 
repair an error, is to exhibit a virtue more rare and valuable than inno- 
cence itself, when accompanied with any degree of conceit and pride. 

They who give the portraits of legendary saints generally paint them 
without a single failing. But they who wish faithfully to imitate the 
sacred authors, are obliged to employ shades as well as lights, even in 
their most celebrated pieces. If this part of the portrait of St. Paul 
should not appear brilliant, it will serve, at least, to manifest the reality 
of the original, the liberality of the apostle, and the fidelity of the painter. 



TRAIT XIII. 
His detestation of party spirit and divisions. 

While the spirit of the world is confessedly a spirit of particular inte- 
rest, pride, and division, the spirit of true religion is manifested, among 
its sincere professors, as a spirit of concord, humility, and brotherly love. 
The true minister, animated in an especial manner by this Divine spirit, 
losing sight of his own reputation and honour, is unweariedly engaged 
in seeking the glory of God, and the edification of his neighbour. Per- 
fectly satisfied with the lowest place, and distinguished as much by con- 
descension to his brethren, as by respect to his superiors, he is ever on 
his guard against that spirit of party which is continually seeking to dis- 
turb the union of the Church, whether it be by too great a fondness for 
particular customs, by an obstinate zeal for any system of doctrines, or 
by too passionate an attachment to some eminent teacher. 

Without persecuting those who are led by so dangerous a spirit, the 



TIIE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 37 

good pastor employs every effort to reunite them under the great Head 
of the Church. Arguing against the folly of those who are ready to 
separate themselves from the company of their brethren, he takes up' the 
language of St. Paul, and says, "O foolish Christians, who hath bewitch* 
ed you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ 
hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you ? Are ye so foolish ? 
Having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?" 
Gal. iii, 1, 3. "Ye have," indeed, "been called unto liberty: only use 
not liberty as an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. 
For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this : thou shalt love thy 
neighbour as thyself. But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed 
that ye be not consumed one of another. Now the works of the flesh 
are manifest, among ichich are these, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, 
strife, seditions, and heresies: of the which I tell you before, as I have 
also told you in time past, that the)' which do such things, shall not 
inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, 
long-suffering, gentleness, faith, meekness, temperance. If we live in 
the Spirit, let us walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, 
provoking one another," Gal. v, 13, 26. " There is one body, and one 
Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling ; one Lord, one 
faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and 
through all, and in you all. Endeavour, therefore, to keep the unity of 
the Spirit in the bond of peace," Eph. iv, 3, 6. 

When the people seek to honour a true minister by placing him at 
the head of any party in the Church, he refuses the proffered dignity 
with an humble and holy indignation. His soul is constantly penetrated 
with those sentiments, under the influence of which the Apostle Paul 
thus nobly expressed himself: " I seek not my own profit, but the profit 
of many, that they may be saved," 1 Cor. x, 33. " I beseech you, 
brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the 
same thing, and that there be no divisions among you ; but that }-e be 
perfectly joined together in the same mind. For it hath been declared 
unto me that there are contentions among you : and that every one of 
you saith, I am of Paul, and I am of Apollos, and I of Cephas, and I of 
Christ. But is Christ divided ? Was Paul crucified for you ? Or were 
you baptized in the name of Paul?" 1 Cor. i, 10, 13. "Who is Paul, 
but a minister by whom ye believed? Therefore, let no man glory in 
men, whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas," 1 Cor. iii, 5, 21, 22 ; but 
rather in " our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven 
and earth is named," Eph. iii, 14, 15. 

By such exhortations it is, and by maintaining at the same time a con- 
duct conformable to the nature of such exhortations, that every faithful 
minister endeavours to engage Christians of all denominations to walk 
together " in love, as Christ also walked," Eph. v, 2. " Proving what is 
acceptable unto the Lord," v, 10, " and submitting one to another in the 
fear of God," v, 21, till the arrival of that promised period, when the 
whole company of the faithful shall be of one heart and of one mind. 

But after all these exertions for the extirpation of a sectarian spirit 
from the Church, they who content themselves with the exterior of 
Christianity, as the Pharisees were contented with the ceremonies of 
the Mosaic worship, will, sooner or later, accuse every evangelieal pas- 



38 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 

tor of attempting to form a particular sect. When modern Pharisees 
observe the strict union which reigns among true believers, a union 
which every faithful minister labours to establish among his people, as 
well by example as by precept; when they behold penitent sinners 
deeply sensible of their guilt, and frequently assembling together for the 
purpose of imploring the blessings of " wisdom, righteousness, sanctifi- 
cation, and redemption," they immediately take the alarm, and cry out, 
"These men do exceedingly trouble our city, teaching customs which 
are not lawful for us to receive," and maintaining such a conduct as is 
most inconvenient for us to follow, Acts xvi, 20, 21. 

Happy are those cities in which the minister of Christ is able to dis- 
cover a Nicodemus, a Gamaliel, or some worshippers possessed of as 
much candour as the Jews of Rome, who desired to hear what the per- 
secuted Paul had to offer in behalf of that newly-risen sect, which was 
" every where spoken against," Acts xxvii, 22. Till this amiable can- 
dour shall universally prevail among the nominal members of the Church, 
true Christianity, even in the centre of Christendom, will always find 
perverse contradiction, and sometimes cruel persecution. 



TRAIT XIV. 
His rejection of praise. 

The minister of the present day labours chiefly with a view to his own 
advantage and honour. He endeavours to please that he may be ad- 
mired of men. " He loves the chief seals in synagogues," public greet- 
ings, and honourable titles, Matt, xxiii, 6, 7, thus tacitly challenging, by 
his unreasonable pretensions to the respect and homage of men, a part 
of that glory which is due to God alone. 

A totally different character is maintained by the true minister. His 
discourses, his actions, his look, his deportment, all agree to say, " Not 
unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy 
and for thy truth's sake," Psalm cxv, 1. If the arm of the Omnipotent 
enables him to perform any extraordinary work, which the multitude do 
not immediately refer to the " Author of every good and perfect gift," 
he cries out with St. Peter, " Why look ye so earnestly on us, as though 
by our own power or holiness " we had performed what appears to excite 
your astonishment ? " The God of our fathers hath," upon this occasion, 
" glorified his Son Jesus ; and the faith, which is by him," hath effected 
this extraordinary work in the presence of you all, Acts iii, 12, 13, 16. 
On all occasions he can say with the great apostle, " Do I seek to please 
men ? If I yet pleased men," unless for their edification, " I should not 
be the servant of Christ," Gal. i, 10. " With me it is a very small thing, 
that I should be judged of you, or of man's judgment," 1 Cor. iv, 3. 
" But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the Gospel, even 
so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God, who trieth our hearts. Nei- 
ther at any time used we flattering words, as ye know ; nor of men 
sought we glory, neither of you, nor yet of others," 1 Thess. ii, 4, 6. 
By such a conduct he distinguishes himself as a faithful ambassador of 
the blessed Jesus, who expressed himself in the following lowly terms to 
those who had reDroached him with a spirit of self-exaltation : " I do 



THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PATJL. 39 

nothing of myself, but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things. 
I seek not my own glory : there is one that seeketh and judgeth. If I 
honour myself, my honour is nothing. It is my Father that honoureth 
me ; of whom ye say that he is your God," John viii, 28, 50, 54. 

There may be peculiar cases in which a ministering servant of God 
may be allowed to call upon Christians for a public testimony of their 
approbation ; and when this is refused, he is justified in modestly calling 
their attention to every past proof of his integrity and zeal. Thus St. 
Paul, as a proper mean of maintaining his authority among the Corinth- 
ians, who had manifested an unjust partiality toward teachers of a very 
inferior order, entered into a long detail of those revelations and labours, 
♦vhich gave him a more than ordinary claim to the respect of every 
Church. But whenever he commended himself, he did it with the utmost 
reluctance, as one constrained by the peculiarity of his circumstances to 
act in immediate contrariety to his real disposition. Hence, whenever 
he recounts the particular favours with which God had honoured him, 
he speaks in the third person, as of another man : " Of such a one will 
I glory ; yet of myself I will not glory, but in mine infirmities," 2 Cor. 
xii, 5. " For we dare not make ourselves of the number of those who 
commend themselves, measuring themselves by themselves," without 
any reference to the excellent graces and endowments of others. "But 
he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. For not he that commendeth 
himself is approved, but whom the Lord commendeth," 2 Cor. x, 12, 18. 

Nothing affords greater satisfaction to false apostles than commenda- 
tion and praise ; while the true minister shrinks with horror from those 
very honours which they assume all the forms of Proteus to obtain. 
When the multitude, led by their admiration of a faithful preacher, follow 
him with unsuitable expressions of applause, he meets them with un- 
feigned indignation, arrests their impious plaudits, and rejects their idol- 
atrous adulations, crying out with St. Paul, " Sirs ! why do ye these 
things ? we also are men of like passions with you ; and preach unto 
you, that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God," Acts 
xiv, 13, 15. We are neither the way, the truth, nor the life : but we 
point to you that way which the truth has discovered, and through which 
eternal life may be obtained, entreating you to walk therein with all 
simplicity and meekness. And remember, that instead of affecting in 
our discourses that vain wisdom, which the world so passionately ad- 
mires, we faithfully proclaim Christ : and, to humble us the more before 
God and man, " we preach Christ crucified," 1 Cor. i, 23. 

By this humble carriage the ministering disciples of Christ are prin- 
cipally known. By this they copy the amiable example of John the 
Baptist, who cheerfully humbled himself that Christ might be exalted, 
crying out in the language of that self-renouncing teacher, " Behold the 
Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world ! There standeth 
one among you whom ye know not, whose shoes' latchet we are not 
worthy to unloose. We baptize with water ; but he baptizeth with the 
Holy Ghost." Beware then of entertaining too high an idea of our 
ministry ; and remember, that " He must increase" in your estimation, 
"but we must decrease," John i, 26, 33 ; hi, 30. 

After beholding John the Baptist, who was accounted greater than 
any of the prophets, abasing himself in the presence of Christ ; and 



40 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 

after hearing St. Paul, who was far superior to the Baptist, exclaiming 
in the humility of his soul, " I live not ; but Christ liveth in me," how 
can we sufficiently express our astonishment at the conduct of those 
titular apostles, who either set up a vain philosophy in the place of 
Christ, or employ the cross of their Lord as a kind of pedestal for the 
support of those splendid monuments, by which their pride is endea- 
vouring to perpetuate the memory of their eloquence. Self-conceited 
orators ! When shall we rank you with the faithful ministers of the 
humble Jesus ? When shall we behold the character you have assumed, 
and the conduct you maintain, sweetly harmonizing with each other ? 
When shall we hecr you addressing your flocks with the unaffected 
simplicity and condescension of the great apostle : " We preach not 
ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord ; and," far from elevating ourselves 
above you, on account of the commission we have received, " ourselves 
your servants for Jesus' sake," 2 Cor. iv, 5. Then we might with pro- 
priety salute you as humble imitators of St. Paul, as zealous ministers 
of the Gospel, and as faithful servants of that condescending Saviour, 
who " came not to be ministered unto, but to minister," Matt, xx, 28. 



TRAIT XV. 
His universal love. 

True Christians are distinguished from Jews, Mohammedans, and 
all other worshippers, by that spirit of universal love, which is the chief 
ornament and glory of their profession. But among evangelical pastors 
this holy disposition appears in a more eminent degree. They feel for 
the inconsiderate and the sinful that tender compassion of which Christ 
has left us an example. Their conduct answers to that beautiful de- 
scription of charity with which Paul presented the Corinthian Church, 
and which may be considered as an emblematical representation of his 
own character from the time of his conversion to the Christian faith. 
Universal love is that invigorating sap, which, passing from the time vine 
into its several branches, renders them fruitful in every good work. 
But this Divine principle circulates through chosen ministers with pe- 
culiar force, and in more than ordinary abundance, as so many principal 
boughs, by which a communication is opened between the root and the 
lesser branches. 

The faithful pastor entertains an affecting remembrance of those 
benevolent expressions which the good Shepherd addressed to the 
Apostle Peter, and in the person of that apostle to all his successors in 
the ministry, repeating them even to the third time : " Lovest thou me ? 
Feed my sheep." As though he had said, The greatest proof you can 
possibly give of your unfeigned attachment to me, is, to cherish the 
souls which I have redeemed, and to make them the objects of your 
tenderest regard. Such is the affectionate precept which every faithful 
minister has received together with his sacred commission, and to which 
he yields a more ready and cheerful obedience, from a firm dependence 
upon the following solemn declaration of his gracious Master : " When 
the Son of man shall come in his glory, he shall say" to all the chil- 
dren of love, " Verily, I say unto you, inasmuch as ye have done good 



THJi PORTRAIT OF ST. TAUL. 41 

unto one of the least of these my brethren," whether their wants were 
corporal or spiritual, "ye have clone it unto me," Matt, xxv, 31, 40. 

The love of the evangelical pastor, like that of St. Paul, is unbounded. 
" God," saith that charitable apostle, " will have all men to be saved, 
and to come unto the knowledge of the truth : I exhort, therefore, that 
supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for 
all men : for this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour," 
1 Tim. ii, 4. But not content with submitting to the exhortation of St. 
Paul, with respect to the duty of universal prayer, he endeavours to 
copy the example of that apostle in labouring for the salvation of all 
men : " I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save 
some," 1 Cor. ix, 22. Being by regeneration " a partaker of the Divine 
nature," 2 Pet. i, 4, he bears a lovely, though imperfect resemblance 
to his heavenly Parent, whose chief perfection is love. Like the High 
Priest of his profession, he breathes nothing but .charity ; and like the 
Father of lights, he makes the sun of his beneficence to rise upon all 
men. To describe this lesser sun in its unlimited course, and to point 
out the admirable variety with which it distributes its light and its heat, 
is to delineate with precision the character of a faithful pastor. 



TRAIT XVI. 
His 'particular lace to the faithful. 

The universal love of the true minister manifests itself in a particular 
manner, according to the different situations of those who are the ob- 
jects of it. When he finds the whole conduct of professing Christians 
conformable to the nature of their sacred profession, " he loves them 
with a pure heart fervently," 1 Pet. i, 22, and giving way to the effusions 
of holy joy, he expresses his affection in words like these : " Brethren, 
we are comforted over you in all our affliction and distress by your 
faith : for now we live if ye stand fast in the Lord." And "what thanks 
can we render to God for you, for all the joy wherewith we joy for your 
sakes before God," 1 Thess. iii, 7, 9. In these expressions of St. Paul 
an astonishing degree of affection is discovered. " Now we live ;" as 
though he had said, We have a two-fold life, the principal life which 
we receive immediately from Christ, and an accessary life, which we 
derive from his members through the medium of brotherly love. And 
so deeply are we interested in the concerns of our brethren, that we are 
sensibly affected by the variations they experience in their spiritual 
state, through the power of that Christian sympathy which we are unable 
to describe. Thus when sin has detached any of our brethren from 
Christ, and separated them from the body of the faithful, we are pene- 
trated with the most sincere distress : and, on the contrary, whenever 
they become more affectionately connected with us, and more intimately 
united to Christ our common head, our spirits are then sensibly refreshed 
and invigorated with new degrees of life and joy. 

Reader, dost thou understand this language ? Hast thou felt the power 
of this Christian sympathy 1 Or has thy faith never yet produced these 
genuine sentiments of brotherly love ? Then thou hast spoken as a per- 
son equally destitute of sensibility and truth, whenever thou hast dared 
to say, " I believe in the communion of saints." 



42 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 

TRAIT XVII. 

His love to those wlwse faith tens wavering. 

When a minister, after having been made instrumental in the con- 
version of sinners, perceives their faith decreasing, and their love grow- 
ing cold, he feels for them what the Redeemer felt when he wept over 
Jerusalem. Not less concerned for the remissness of his believing 
hearers, than St. Paul was distressed by the instability of his Galatian 
and Corinthian converts, he pleads with them in the same affectionate 
terms : " Ye know," ye who are the seals of my ministry, " how I 
preached the Gospel unto you at the first. And ye despised me not, 
but received me as an angel of God. Where is then the blessedness 
ye spake of? For I bear you record, that if it had been possible, ye 
would have plucked out your own eyes and have given them to me. 
Am I therefore become your enemy because I tell you the truth ? My 
little children, of whom I travail in birth again, until Christ be formed 
in you," I tell you with sorrow, that after all my confidence in you, " I 
stand in doubt of you," Gal. iv, 13-20. " Our mouth is open unto you, 
our heart is enlarged. Ye are not straitened in us, but ye are straitened 
in your own bowels. Now for a recompense in the same (I speak as 
unto my children) be ye also enlarged. Be ye not unequally voked 
together with unbelievers ; for what fellowship hath righteousness with 
unrighteousness ? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel ? 
Wherefore, come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the 
Lord, and touch not the unclean thing ; and I will receive you, and will 
be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the 
Lord Almighty. We beseech you, therefore, brethren, that ye receive 
not the grace of God in vain," 2 Cor. vi, 1, 11-18. 

This language of the Christian pastor is almost unintelligible to the 
minister who is merely of man's appointing. Having never converted 
a single soul to Christ, he has neither spiritual son nor daughter, and is 
entirely unacquainted with that painful travail which is mentioned by 
St. Paul. His bowels are straitened toward Christ and his members, 
and having closely united himself to the men of the world, he considers 
the assembly of the faithful as a company of ignorant enthusiasts. But, 
notwithstanding the spiritual insensibility of these ill instructed teachers, 
who never studied in the school of Christ, there is no other token by 
which either sincere Christians or true ministers can be discerned, ex- 
cept that fervent love which the Galatians entertained for St. Paul before 
their falling away, and which that apostle ever continued to entertain 
for them. "By this," saith our Lord, "shall all men know that ye are 
my disciples, if ye have love one to another," John xiii, 35. 



TRAIT XVIII. 

His love to his countrymen and his enemies. 

St. Paul, like his rejected Master, was persecuted even to death by 
the Jews, his countrymen, while he generously exposed himself to 
innumerable hardships in labouring for their good. These furious devo- 
tees, inspired with envy, revenge, and a persecuting zeal, hunted this 



THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 43 

apostle from place to place, as a public pest. And when the Gentiles, 
on a certain occasion, had rescued him out of their hands, forty of the 
most hardened among them engaged themselves by an oath, neither to 
eat nor drink till they had assassinated him. But, notwithstanding the 
most indubitable proofs of their bloody disposition toward him, his fervent 
charity threw a veil over their cruelty, and made him wish to die for 
his persecutors. " I declare," saith he, " the truth in Christ, my con- 
science also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost, that I have great 
heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart : for I could wish that my- 
self were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according 
to the flesh," Rom. ix, 1-3. As though he should say, " It is written, 
Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree," Gal. iii, 13. Thus Christ 
himself became accursed for us, and I also would lay down my life for 
my brethren, " that I may have fellowship with him in his sufferings, 
being made conformable unto his death," Phil, iii, 10 ; " and filling up 
that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ, in my flesh, for his 
body's sake, which is the Church," Col. i, 24. It is by expressions 
so charitable, and by actions which demonstrate the sincerity of those 
expressions, that Christians avenge themselves of their enemies, and 
work upon the hearts of their countrymen. 

If the sentiments of every sincere disciple of Christ are expressed in 
the preceding language of St. Paul, how deplorable then must be the 
state of those Christians, whose anxiety either for their own salvation, 
or for that of their nearest relations, bears no proportion to that eager 
concern which this apostle manifested for tne salvation of his bitterest 
persecutors ! And if good pastors feel so ardent a desire to behold all 
men actuated by the spirit of Christ, without excepting even their most 
malicious enemies, what shall we saj- to those ministers who never shed 
a single tear, nor ever breathed one ardent prayer for the conversion 
of their parishioners, their friends, or their families ? 



TRAIT XIX. 

His love to those whom he knew only by report. 

Though the true minister takes a peculiar interest in every thing that 
concerns the salvation of his countrymen, yet his Christian benevolence 
is far from being confined within the narrow limits of a particular coun- 
try. He desires to bear the name of his Saviour to the ends of the 
earth ; and if he is not able to do this by his personal addresses, he will 
do it, at least, by his earnest wishes and his constant prayers. If Provi- 
dence have not yet fixed him in a particular Church, he writes, in the 
manner of St. Paul, to the inhabitants of the most distant countries : " I 
would not have you ignorant, brethren, that I" consider myself as a 
" debtor both to the Greeks and to the barbarians ; both to the wise and 
.he unwise. And as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the Gos- 
pel to you that are at Rome," where error and impiety have fixed their 
throne. " For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ : for it is the 
power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth," Rom. i, 13-16. 
If he writes to stranger converts, whose faith is publicly spoken of in 
the world, he declares his sincere attachment to them, and his longing 



44 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 

desire to afford them eveiy spiritual assistance, in terms like these : 
" God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the Gospel of his 
Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers. 
Making request, if, by any means, I might have a prosperous journey 
by the will of God to come unto you. For I Jong to see you, that I may 
impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the . end ye may be established ; 
that is, that I may be comforted together with you, by the mutual faith 
both of you and me," Rom. i, 9-12. 

If the Apostle Paul, when he knew the Romans no otherwise than by 
report, expressed so ardent a desire to see them for the sole purpose of 
inciting them to seek after higher degrees of faith and piety ; what must 
be the disposition of those ministers who feel no desires of this nature, 
even for the members of their own flock ? And in how great an error are 
those Christians, who frequently assemble together, either in their own 
houses, or in more public places, for the very purpose of mutually for- 
getting the restraints of piety, losing their time in frivolous conversation, 
and debasing their minds by puerile amusements ! Farther : if the new 
nature of the regenerate excites in them that lively concern for the 
salvation of their neighbours, which St. Paul expressed for the salvation 
of those who inhabited the remotest parts of the earth, is it becoming in 
the faithful to stifle the motions of that commendable zeal which Chris- 
tian charity alone can inspire? And if there are to be found among us 
dignified teachers, who, far from seconding a zeal so necessary in our 
day, are rather disposed to extinguish the first sparks of it, wherever 
they are discernible ; whom may they be said to take for their model, 
Paul the apostle, or Saul the Pharisee ? Doubtless Saul, the agent of a 
bigoted sect, and the open persecutor of the faithful. 



TRAIT XX. 

His charity toward the poo?' in giving or procuring for them temporal relief. 

Though our Lord came principally to save the souls of sinners, yet 
he was by no means unmindful of their bodies. " He went about doing 
good," in the most unlimited sense, daily relieving, with equal care, the 
corporal and spiritual maladies of the people. Thus, when he had dis- 
tributed the word of God to those who were hungering and thirsting after 
righteousness, he expressed an anxious concern for the support of those 
among his followers who were sensible of no other wants, except such 
as were of a temporal nature : " I have compassion on the multitude, 
because they have now been with me three days, and have nothing to 
eat" — and not content with barely expressing his concern for their cor- 
poral necessities, he wrought an astonishing miracle for their immediate 
relief, Mark viii, 2. The true minister cheerfully imitates the conduct 
of his gracious Master, by a strict and affectionate attention to the 
spiritual and temporal wants of his people. " James, Cephas, and John," 
saith St. Paul, " gave to me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, 
that we should go unto the heathen : only they would that we should 
remember the poor : the same which I also was forward to do," Gal. 
ii, 9, 10. 

When the liberality of St, Paul toward his necessitous brethren was 



THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 45 

restrained by his own excessive indigence, he employed the most effectual 
means to procure for them the generous benefactions of their wealthier 
companions in the faith of the Gospel. The following passages, 
extracted from his epistles, may serve as sufficient proofs of this : "Bre- 
thren," I cannot but inform you " of the grace of God bestowed on the 
Churches of Macedonia ; how that, in a great trial of affliction, the 
abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches 
of their liberality. For to their power, I bear record, yea, and beyond 
their power, they were willing of themselves ; praying us, with much 
entreaty, that we would receive the gift, and take upon us the fellowship 
of the ministering to the saints. Therefore, as ye abound in faith, in 
utterance, in knowledge, in all diligence, and in your love to us, see 
that ye abound in this grace also. I speak by occasion of the forward- 
ness of others, and to prove the sincerity of your love. For ye know 
the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for 
your sakes he became poor, that ye, through his poverty, might be rich. 
Wherefore, show ye, before the Churches, the proof of your love, and of 
our boasting on your behalf," 2 Cor. viii, 1—24. 

Not yet content with these earnest solicitations in behalf of the poor, 
the apostle thus proceeds to enforca his importunities : " I thought it 
necessary to exhort the brethren that they should go before unto you, 
and make up beforehand your bounty, that the same might be ready, as 
a matter of bounty, and not as of covetousness. But this I say, he that 
soweth sparingly, shall reap also sparingly ; and he that soweth bounti- 
fully, shall reap also bountifully. God loveth a cheerful giver. And 
God is able to make all grace abound toward you ; that ye, always hav- 
ing all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work : as it 
is written, He hath dispersed abroad ; he hath given to the poor ; his 
righteousness remaineth for ever. Now he that ministereth seed to the 
sower, both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, 
and increase the fruits of your righteousness ; that ye may he enriched 
in every thing to all bountimlness, which causes through us thanksgiving 
to God. For the administration of this service not only supplieth the 
wants of the saints, but is abundant also by many thanksgivings unto 
God : while, by the experiment of this ministration, they glorify God for 
your professed subjection unto the Gospel of Christ, and for your liberal 
distribution unto them, and unto all men," 2 Cor. ix, 5-13. Who could 
possibly refuse any thing to a godly minister pleading the cause of the 
poor, math all this apostolic dignity, simplicity, and zeal ? 

After having obtained alms for the poor, the Apostle Paul cautiously 
avoided all suspicion of appropriating any part of them to the relief of 
his own necessities ; and was equally careful that they were never mis- 
employed through the unfaithfulness of those who were appointed to 
distribute them. One of our brethren, adds the apostle, " chosen of the 
Churches, accompanies" us in our journey " with this grace, which is 
administered by us to the glory of the same Lord, and declaration of 
your ready mind : avoiding this, that no man should blame us in this 
abundance, which is administered by us : providing for honest things, 
not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men," 2 Cor. 
viii, 9—21. ?v!entioning again his favourite employment, he writes to a 
distant Church, " Now I go unto Jerusalem to minister unto the saints. 



46 THE rORTRATT OF ST. TAUL. 

For it hath pleased them of Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain 
contribution for the poor saints, which are at Jerusalem. When there- 
fore I have performed this, and have sealed to them this fruit, I will 
come by you into Spain. Now I beseech you, brethren, that ye strive 
together in your prayers for me, that I may be delivered from them that 
do not believe in Judea ; and that the service which I have for Jerusa- 
lem may be accepted of the saints," Rom. xv, 25-31. 

Thus to wait upon the Churches, and particularly thus to attend upon 
the poor, is to merit the name of a faithful minister. 



TRAIT XXI. 

His charity toward sinners in offering them every spiritual assistance. 

To solicit alms for those who are destitute of food and raiment, and 
at the same time to withhold the word of God from those " who hunger 
and thirst after righteousness," is to manifest an unhappy inconsistency 
of character. Such inconsistencies, however, are frequently discoverable 
even among pastors, who pique themselves upon their disposition to 
works of benevolence and charity. 

Man has an immortal soul. This soul, which is properly himself, is 
rendered, by disobedience, so totally ignorant and completely miserable, 
that she seeks to enrich herself with the vanities of the world, and to 
gratify her inclinations with the pollutions of sin. In pity to the soul in this 
state of wretchedness, the truths of the Gospel are proposed by a compas- 
sionate God, as a sacred remedy, adapted to the nature of her innumerable 
wants : they illumine the blind with spiritual light and knowledge ; they 
clothe the naked with the robe of righteousness ; they feed the hungry ; 
they heal the sick ; they burst the captive's bands ; they give eternal life to 
those who are dead in trespasses and sin : in a word, they make us par- 
takers of the great salvation of God. To publish this Gospel, then, or to 
procure the preaching of it to sinners, is undoubtedly to give them an im- 
portant proof of the most excellent charity ; while, on the other hand, to 
refuse them the word of God, or to avoid any occasion of administering it, 
is absolutely or occasionally to deny them those spiritual alms and assist- 
ances which the Saviour of the world has appointed for their daily relief. 
The pastor who acts in this unbecoming manner resembles a physician, 
or an almoner, who, having received a charge from his prince to supply 
the poor with food, or the sick with medicine, not only refuses to acquit 
himself with his acknowledged duty with diligence and impartiality, but 
strenuously opposes those who endeavour to supply his lack of service. 
Such a minister seems to maintain a system as absurd and cruel as 
would be that of either of those characters just alluded to, who should 
pretend that no one had authority to administer alms to the poor, or 
medicine to the sick, except such as received pensions from the prince 
for that purpose ; and that even these would act in a disorderly manner, 
if they should dare to distribute alms or remedies except on the Sabbath 
day, and then only during particular hours. 

So long as any pastor seeks his own glory, so long he will be subject to 
some degree of that contemptible jealousy, which will not suffer him to 
behold with pleasure the more abundant and successful labours of his 



THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 41 

brethren. But the faithful minister of Christ, whose chief desire is the 
prosperity of the Church, is actuated by a totally different spirit. Though 
he has a peculiar satisfaction in beholding the success of his own spiritual 
labours ; yet when he hears the Gospel published by others, and even 
by such as are apparently influenced by unworthy motives, he greatly 
rejoices in their success. His charity, which neither envies another's 
prosperity, nor seeks his own particular advantage, expresses itself, upon 
so delicate a subject, in the language of St. Paul : " Some indeed preach 
Christ even of envy and strife, supposing to add affliction to my bonds. 
What then ? notwithstanding every way, whether in pretence or in truth, 
Christ is preached ; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and I will rejoice," 
Phil, i, 15-18. 

Influenced by envy, or rendered insensible by their lukewarmness, 
worldly ministers are absolute strangers to the generous pleasure here 
mentioned by the apostle ; nor have they the least idea of acting in a 
criminal manner, when they will not permit the truths of the Gospel to 
be freely declared by all who are disposed to announce them. 

The good pastor, by whatever name he may be distinguished, lives 
only to publish the Gospel, and to convert the souls committed to his 
charge : to restrain him then from attending to these important labours, 
is to force him aside from the true end of his calling, and must appear 
to every enlightened mind a greater act of cruelty, than to withhold 
the rich from giving alms, or to detain an expert swimmer from saving 
his drowning brethren. If such a pastor, in any period of his life, has 
acted like a monopolist of the Gospel, and, by denying to the " poor in 
spirit," what was freely given for their support, has caused in any place 
a " famine of the word ;" he believes himself abundantly more culpable 
than those avaricious merchants, who, by forming a monopoly of grain 
in the East Indies, caused a grievous famine in that country, by which 
an innumerable multitude of its inhabitants perished. Those covetous 
men denied to the bodies of their neighbours a perishable nourishment ; 
but he has withheld from the souls of his brethren that precious manna, 
which might have preserved them to everlasting life. Such was the 
crime of those whom our Lord addressed in the following words : " Wo 
unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites ! for ye shut up the kingdom 
of heaven against men ; for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer 
ye them, that are entering, to go in," Matt, xxiii, 13. Observe St. 
Paul's sentiments of such characters. With respect to those Jews, " who 
Doth killed the Lord Jesus, and their own prophets, and have persecuted 
us ; they please not God, and are contrary to all men, forbidding us to 
speak to the Gentiles, that they might be saved," filling up by this 
means the measure of their sin : " for the wrath is come upon them to 
the uttermost," 1 Thess. ii, 15, 16. 

If the character which the apostle here describes was odious in a Jew, 
without doubt it is more so in a Christian, and still doubly detestable in 
a minister of the Gospel, whose heart should continually be animated 
with a fervent desire for the conversion of sinners, and the salvation of 
all mankind. Were it possible for those who are distinguished by this 
trait of the character of Antichrist to discover the turpitude of their own 
conduct, they would acknowledge themselves abundantly more guilty 
than the robber, who should force away from a famished pauper the 



48 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 

morsel of bread he had begged in his distress. They would pronounce, 
without hesitation, that the foster-mother who neglects the infant she 
has undertaken to cherish, and prevents her charitable neighbours from 
affording it any nourishment, is still more excusable than the pastor, 
who, not content with refusing to feed the flock of Christ, endeavours to 
scatter his sheep wherever they are found feeding, seeking out accusa- 
tions against those who have led them to a refreshing pasture, and 
studying, by every mean, to withdraw the Gospel from those penitent 
sinners, who, " as new-born babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, 
that they may grow thereby," 1 Pet. ii, 2. 

Happy will be the age in which Christian pastors shall no longer be 
found, like the scribes in the days of St. Paul, labouring to fill up the 
measure of their iniquities ! Then truth and piety shall no longer be 
restrained by the fetters of prejudice and bigotry ! Then the faithful 
shall worship God, and publish the Gospel, with as much freedom as 
the dissipated indulge themselves in the sports of the age, or the 
malevolent in slandering their neighbours ! 



TRAIT XXII. 

The engaging condescension of his humble cliarily. 

Charity avoids all appearance of haughtiness, and is never seen to 
act in an unbecoming manner. On the contrary, full of courtesy, she 
fears lest she should give offence to any ; and, full of benevolence, she 
labours for the edification of all. Here the charitable pastor cannot act 
otherwise than with a holy condescension toward all men, and especially 
toward the ignorant and poor, with whom the ministers of the present age 
will scarcely deign to converse : and, without ever slipping his foot into 
the pit of error, he sometimes approaches it with a happy mixture of 
compassion and prudence, for the relief of those who are unable to ex- 
tricate themselves from it. " Though I am free from all men," writes 
St. Paul, " yet I have made myself servant unto all, that I might gain 
the more. Unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the 
Jews : to them that are without law, as without law, that I might gain 
them that are without a written law. To the weak became I as weak, 
that I might gain the weak : I am made all things to all men, that I 
might by all means save some. And this I do for the Gospel's sake," 
1 Cor. ix, 19-23. " All things are lawful for me," continues he, " but 
all things are not expedient : all things are lawful for me, but all things 
edify not," 1 Cor. x, 23. "When ye sin against the brethren by 
wounding their weak conscience, ye sin against Christ. Wherefore, if 
meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world 
standeth, lest I make my brother to offend," 1 Cor. viii, 12, 13. 
" Whether, therefore, ye eat or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to 
the glory of God. Even as I please all men in all things, not seeking 
mine own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved," 
1 Cor. x, 32, 33. 

Behold that sweet prudence of charity which our Lord recommended 
to his disciples, when he pointed out the folly of putting new wine into 
such bottles as were unable to resist the force of the fermenting liquor. 



THE PORTRAIT OF ST. TAUL. 49 

And of this affectionate discretion he himself gave them a striking 
example, when he said, " I have many things to say unto you, but ye 
cannot bear them now." If this condescending carriage was lovely in 
the blessed Jesus, it will ever appear amiable in his humble imitators, 
who can say, with the Apostle Paul, to the weaker members of the 
Church, " We have fed you with milk, and not with meat ; for hitherto 
ye were not able to bear it," 1 Cor. iii, 2. 

Special care is, however, to be taken that this charitable condescen- 
sion may never betray the interests of truth and virtue. "Abstain," 
saith St. Paul, " from all appearance of evil," 1 Thess. v, 22. " Be ye 
followers of me, even as I also am of Christ," 1 Cor. xi, 1. For " herein 
do I exercise myself to have always a conscience void of offence toward 
God and toward men," Acts xxiv, 16. And " our rejoicing is this, the 
testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not 
with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conver- 
sation in the world, and more abundantly to you-ward," among whom 
we have laboured in the Gospel, 2 Cor. i, 12. 

If there exist pastors who lack this condescension toward the poor, 
or who are destitute of that humble charity which can familiarize itself 
with the most ignorant for their edification and comfort : if there are 
ministers to be foimd who are ever meanly complaisant to the rich, and 
who are void of holy resolution in the presence of the great, instead of 
conducting themselves with that mingled humility and dignity which are 
suitable to the character they sustain, — may the one and the other be 
convinced of the grievous error into which they are fallen, while they 
contemplate this opposite trait in the character of St. Paul. 

Upon what consideration is founded the humiliating distinction which 
is generally made between the rich and the poor? Was Christ mani- 
fested in a state of earthly grandeur ? Did he not chiefly associate with 
the poor? Far from nattering the rich, did he not insinuate that they 
would, with the utmost difficulty, enter into the kingdom of God ? Did 
he not affirm it were better for a man to be cast into the sea with a 
millstone about his neck, than to offend the poorest believer ? Did he 
not declare that he would consider the regard shown to the meanest of 
his followers as though he himself had been the immediate object of it ? 
When St. James assures us that " he who converteth a sinner from the 
error of his way," performs the best of all possible good works, because, 
by preventing a multitude of sins, he places the soul in the road to 
every virtue, — can this declaration be supposed to lose any of its force 
when applied to the soul of a poor man ? Are not the lowest of men 
immortal as the most elevated ? Did not Christ humble himself to the 
death of the cross for the poor as well as the rich? "Hath not God 
chosen the poor of this world, rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom ?" 
And, finally, were the angels less ready to convey the soul of perishing 
Lazarus to paradise than that of wealthy Abraham? Perish then for 
ever that unchristian prejudice which dishonours the poor, nourishes the 
pride of the rich, and leads us to the violation of that great command, 
by which we become as guilty as though we had transgressed the whole 
law, the spirit of which is love. And let us remember it is only out of 
the ruins of so despicable a partiality, that the engaging condescension, of 
which St. Paul has left us so lovely an example, can possibly be produced. 
Vol. III. 4 



50 



THE POSTSAIT Or ST. TA.VL, 



TRAIT XXIII. 
His courage in defence of oppressed truth. 

" Charity rejoiceth in the truth," 1 Cor. xiii, 6. These two amiable 
companions are closely united together, and mutually sustain each other. 
It is possible, however, when an error has the suffrages of many per- 
sons, respectable on account of their wisdom, their age, their rank, their 
labours, or their piety, that a sincere Christian may be tempted to 
sacrifice truth to authority, or rather to a mistaken charity. But the 
enlightened pastor, putting on the resolution of St. Paul, will never 
suffer himself to be imposed upon by the appearance of either persons 
or things ; and though he should see himself standing alone on the side 
of evangelical truths, he will not fear, even singly, to act as their modest 
and zealous defender. 

In these circumstances a lukewarm minister loses all his courage. 
Behold his general plea for the pusillanimity of his conduct — " I am 
alone, and what success can I expect in so difficult an undertaking? 
The partisans of this error are persons whom I both love and honour. 
Some of them have shown me great kindness, and others have suffi- 
cient credit to prejudice the world against me. Moreover, it would be 
looked upon as presumption in me, who am weaker than a reed, to 
oppose myself to a torrent, which bears down the strongest pillars of 
the Church." Such is the manner in which he apologizes for the 
timidity of his conduct in those situations, where Ins love of truth is 
publicly called to the test : not considering, that to reason thus is to 
forget at once the omnipotence of God, the force of truth, and the un- 
speakable worth of those souls which error may poison and destroy. 

On the contrary, the faithful minister, who, on all occasions, rejoices 
in the truth, " conferring not with flesh and blood," courageously refuses 
to bear the yoke of any error that must evidently be accompanied with 
evil consequences. In the most trying situations of this nature he imi- 
tates the conduct of the great apostle, who, when he saw a shameful 
error making its way in the Church, placed himself in the gap, and gave 
way to the emotions of his honest zeal, as related in the following pas- 
sage : " False brethren came in privily to spy out our liberty which we 
have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage. To whom 
we gave place by subjection, no not for an hour ; that the truth of the 
Gospel might continue with you. And when Peter was come to An- 
tioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed. For 
before that certain came from James, he did eat with the Gentiles : but 
when they were come, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing them 
winch were of the circumcision. And the other Jews dissembled like- 
wise with him, insomuch that Barnabas also," under the specious pre- 
tence of not offending his neighbour, " w T as earned away with their 
dissimulation. But when I saw that they walked not uprightly accord- 
ing to the truth of the Gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, If thou, 
being a Jew, livest after the manner of the Gentiles, and not as do the 
Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews?" 
Gal. ii, 4, 14. 

This reasonable reprimand is, perhaps, one of the greatest proofs 



THE TOliTRAlT OF ST. TAUL. 51 

which St. Paul ever gave of the uprightness of his intention, and the 
steadiness of his resolution. 

Ye men of integrity ! ye, who have proved how much it costs to 
defend the rights of truth, when they stand opposed to that deference 
which condescending love obliges us to show in a thousand instances 
to respectable authority ; you alone are able to make a proper judgment 
of the holy violence which was exercised by St. Paul upon this occasion. 
But whatever they may be called to endure in so honourable a cause, 
happy are those Christians, and doubly happy those pastors who have 
so great a love for truth, and so true a love for their brethren, that they 
are ready at all times, with this faithful apostle, to sacrifice to the inte- 
rests of the Gospel every inferior consideration, every servile fear, and 
every worldly hope. 



TRAIT XXIV. 
His prudence in frustrating the designs of his enemies. 

There is no kind of calumny which the incredulous have not ad. 
vanced, in order to render Christianity either odious or contemptible. 
According to the notions of these men, to adopt the maxims of evan- 
gelical patience argues a want of sensibility ; and to regulate our 
conduct according to the dictates of Christian prudence, is to act the 
hypocrite. What we have to say, in this place, will chiefly respect the 
latter charge. 

It has been asserted, by modern infidels, that the gentleness and for- 
bearance which the Gospel requires of its professors, must necessarily 
make them the dupes of designing men, and lead them unreluctantly 
into the snares of their persecutors. But to draw this inference from 
some few passages of Scripture, understood hi too literal a sense, is to 
set truth at variance with itself, merely for the purpose of charging 
Christians with all the evil, which, it is presumed, they might have 
avoided by prudence, or have overcome by resolution. The example 
of our Lord, and that of St. Paul, might have rectified the ideas of 
cavillers upon this point. When Christ exhorted his disciples to be 
" harmless as doves," he admonished them at the same time to be " wise 
as serpents :" and of this harmless wisdom he himself gave a striking 
example, when he was interrogated by the Jews respecting the lawful- 
ness of paying tribute unto Cesar. Well acquainted with the different 
sentiments of that people with regard to the Roman yoke, without 
directly combatting the prejudices of any party, he returned a satisfac- 
tory answer to all parties, by an inference drawn from " the image and 
superscription " borne upon their current coin, — " Render therefore unto 
Cesar the things that are Cesar's, and unto God the things that are 
God's," Matt, xxii, 21. 

The sincere Christian, and the faithful minister, have frequently oc- 
casion for this happy prudence, as well as St. Paul, who, more than 
once, employed it with success. The Jews, irritated against this apostle, 
sought occasion to destroy him, on account of the zeal with which he 
published the Gospel among the Gentiles. Hoping to soften the preju- 
dices they entertained against his conduct, he recounted to them how 



52 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 

Jesus, being raised from the dead and appearing to him in an extra- 
ordinary manner, had expressly sent him to the Gentiles, Acts xxii, 21, 
when the Jews, more irritated than before, would have torn him in 
pieces, had he not been rescued out of their hands by the Roman gar- 
rison. By this means Paul was preserved for a more peaceful hearing. 
And on the morrow, when he stood before the Jewish council, perceiv- 
ing that the assembly was composed partly of Sadducees, who say 
there is "no resurrection, neither angel, nor spirit;" and partly of 
Pharisees, who believe equally in the existence of spirits and the resur- 
rection of the body ; he immediately availed himself of tins circumstance, 
and cried out, " Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Phari- 
see : of the hope and resurrection of the dead I am called in question," 
Acts xxiii, 6. As though he had said, The great cause of the violent 
persecution that is now raised against me is, that I preach " Jesus and 
the resurrection." Our fathers, indeed, were not absolutely assured of 
a life to come ; but the important doctrine of the resurrection, and of 
the judgment that shall follow, is now demonstrated ; since God has 
given an incontestable proof of it, in raising up his son Jesus from the 
dead. And I myself have been an eye witness of his resurrection, to 
whom he has appeared two several times ; once as I journeyed to Da- 
mascus, and afterward as I prayed in the temple. But when I men- 
tioned this second appearance of a risen Saviour, my incredulous 
accusers began vehemently to cry out, " Away with such a fellow from 
the earth." By this just exposition of the fact, and by his prudent 
selection of "the resurrection of Christ" from among the other great 
doctrines of Christianity, St. Paul happily caused a division to take 
place among his judges. And the event answered his expectation : for 
" the scribes that were of the Pharisees' part, arose, saying, We find no 
evil in this man ; but if a spirit," that is, a man risen from the dead, 
" or an angel, hath spoken to him, let us not fight against God," Acts 
xxiii, 9. There is still another instance of the wisdom of the serpent 
reconciling itself with the innocence of the dove, in the conduct of this 
apostle, when marking the disposition of his Athenian judges, he took 
advantage of their taste for novelty by announcing to them " The un- 
known God," to whom they had already erected an altar, Acts xvii. 

This Christian prudence, equally distant from the duplicity of hypo- 
crites and the stupidity of idiots, merits a place among the traits which 
characterize this great apostle, not only because it is worthy of our imita- 
tion, but also because it has been indirectly represented, by a modern 
Celsus, as mere cunning and artifice. The author here alluded to, who 
deserves rather to be called a great poet than a faithful painter, having 
disfigured this trait of St. Paul's character with a pencil dipped in the 
gall of prejudice, we gladly take this occasion of setting forth the 
injustice of his imputations, so illiberally cast both upon Christianity 
itself, and the most eminent of its defenders. This witty philosopher, 
who has said so many good things against the spirit of persecution, 
never perceived that he himself was actuated by an intolerant spirit : 
so true it is, that the most sagacious are liable to be blinded by passion 
or prejudice. The same spirit of persecution which excited the Athe. 
nians to discountenance the justice of Aristides as a dangerous singu- 
larity, and to punish the piety of Socrates as a species of atheism, led 



THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 53 

the author of the Philosophical Dictionary to represent the prudence of 
St. Paul as the duplicity of a hypocrite. 

Had this severe judge occupied the seat of Ananias, he might, per- 
haps, with an affected liberality, have overlooked the peculiarities of the 
apostles' creed ; but, in the end, his innate detestation of piety would 
have assisted him, according to the general custom of persecutors, to 
feign some just cause for treating him with the utmost rigour. And 
this he has done in our day as far as his circumstances would permit ; 
since, not being able to disgrace him by the hand of a public execu- 
tioner, he has studied to do it with his pen, by ravishing from him, not 
only his reputation for extraordinary piety, but even his claim to com- 
mon honesty. 

Persecutor ! whoever thou art, be content that thy predecessors have 
taken away the lives of the righteous, and spare them, what they prefer 
infinitely before life itself, " the testimony of a good conscience." 



TRAIT XXV. 

His tenderness toward others, and his severity toward himself. 

Though perfectly insensible to the warm emotions of brotherly love, 
the worldly pastor frequently repeats, in his public discourses, those 
affectionate expressions which flow so cordially from the lips of faithful 
ministers, " My dear brethren in Christ !" These expressions from the 
pulpit are almost unavoidable upon some occasions; but, in general, 
they are to be regarded in no other light than the civil addresses of a 
haughty person, who concludes his epistles by assuring his correspond- 
ents that he considers it an honour to subscribe himself their obedient 
servant. But while the worldly minister affects a degree of benevolence 
which he cannot feel, the good pastor, out of the abundance of a heart 
overflowing with Christian charity, addresses his brethren with the utmost 
affection and regard, not only without any danger of feigning what he 
has not experienced, but even without a possibility of expressing the 
ardour of his brotherly love. His exhortations to the faithful, like those 
of St. Paul, are seasoned with an unction of grace, and accompanied 
with a flow of tenderness which frequently give them an astonishing 
effect upon his brethren, and which always evince the interest he takes 
in the concerns of the Church. " Rebuke not an elder," says St. Paul, 
" but entreat him as a father, and the younger men as brethren : the 
elder women as mothers, the younger as sisters, with all purity," 1 Tim. 
v, 1. Such was the exhortation of this apostle to a young minister, nor 
was his example unsuitable to his counsel. " I beseech you, brethren, 
by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, 
holy, acceptable to God. Dearly beloved, be not overcome of evil, but 
overcome evil with good," Rom. xii, 1, 19, 21. "I write not these 
things to shame you, but as my beloved sons I warn you," 1 Cor. iv, 14. 
" I, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you, that ye walk worthy of the 
vocation wherewith ye are called," Eph. iv, 1. "If there be any con- 
solation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, 
if any bowels and mercies, fulfil ye my joy, that ye be like-minded, 
being of one accord. My beloved, work out your own salvation with 



54 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 

fear and trembling," Phil, ii, 1, 2, 12. "We beseech you, brethren, 
and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as you have received of us how 
ye ought to walk, and to please God, so ye would abound more and 
more," 1 Thess. iv, 1. " Though I might be much bold in Christ, to 
enjoin thee that which is convenient, yet for love's sake I rather beseech 
thee, being such a one as Paul the aged, and now also a prisoner of 
Jesus Christ. I beseech thee for my son Onesimus, whom I have be- 
gotten in my bonds ; who in time past was unto thee unprofitable, but 
now profitable unto thee and me, whom I have sent again. Thou there- 
fore receive him, that is, mine own bowels. Yea, brother, let me have 
joy of thee in the Lord ; refresh my bowels in the Lord," Philemon ver. 
8, 12, 20. Such was the tenderness and affection with which St. Paul 
was accustomed to address his believing brethren. But the language 
of this aposle was very different when he spoke of himself, and of that 
body of sin which constrained lum to crv out, " O wretched man that 
I am !" 

It is the character of too many persons to be severe toward the fail- 
ings of others, while they show the utmost lenity toward themselves, 
with respect both to their mfirmities and their vices. Always ready to 
place the faults of their neighbours in an odious light, and their own in 
the most favourable point of view, they seem to be made up of nothing 
but partiality and self love ; while the true minister reserves his greatest 
indulgence for others, and exercises the greatest severity toward him- 
self. " All things are lawful for me," writes St. Paul, " but I will not 
be brought under the power of any," 1 Cor. vi, 12. "Know ye not 
that they which run in a race, run all, but one receiveth the prize ? And 
every one that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things : now 
they do it to obtain a corruptible crown, but we an incorruptible. I 
therefore so run, not as uncertainly ; so fight I, not as one that beateth 
the air : but I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection : lest 
that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be 
a cast-away," 1 Cor. ix, 24-27. 

One reflection naturally finishes this trait of the character of St. Paul. 
If this spiritual man, if this great apostle thought himself obliged to use 
such strenuous efforts, that he might not be rejected before God at the 
last, in how great danger are those careless pastors and Christians, who, 
far from accustoming themselves to holy acts of self denial, satisfy their 
natural desires without any apprehension, and treat those as enthusiasts 
who begin to imitate St. Paul, by regarding their baptismal vow, and 
renouncing their sensual appetites. 



TRAIT XXVI. 

His love never degenerated into cowardice, but reproved and consoled, as 
occasion required. 

The charity of the true minister bears no resemblance to that phan- 
tom of a virtue, that mean complaisance, that unmanly pliancy, that 
unchristian cowardice, or that affected generosity, which the ministers 
of this day delight to honour with the name of charity. According to 
these insufficient judges, to be charitable is only to give some trifling 



*TlIiE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 55 

alms out of our abundant superfluities, to tolerate the most dangerous 
errors, without daring to lift up the standard of truth, and to behold the 
overflowings of vice, without attempting to oppose the threatening torrent. 
Such would be the mistaken charity of a surgeon, who, to spare the 
mortifying arm of his friend, should suffer the gangrene to spread over 
his whole body. Such was the charity of the high priest Eli toward 
Hophni and Phinehas ; an impious charity, which permitted him to be- 
hold their shameful debaucheries with too favourable an eye ; a fatal 
charity, which opened that ab}ss of evil which finally swallowed them 
up, and into which they dragged with them their father, their children, 
the people of Israel, and the Church, over which they had been ap- 
pointed to preside. 

The good pastor, conscious that he shall save a soul from death, if 
he can but prevail with a sinner to forsake his evil way, uses every 
effort to accomplish so important a work. And among other probable 
means, which he employs on the occasion, he tries the force of severe 
reprehension, rebuking the wicked with a holy authority ; and, if it be 
necessary, returning to the charge with a spark of that glowing zeal 
with which his Master was influenced, when he forced from the temple 
these infamous buyers and sellers who had profaned it with their carnal 
merchandise. Thus St. Paul, on receiving information that scandalous 
errors had been discovered in the conduct of a member of the Corinthian 
Church, immediately wrote to that Church in the following severe and 
solemn manner : " It is reported that there is fornication among you. 
And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath 
done this deed might be taken away from among you. Know ye not 
that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump," and that the plague in 
any single member of a society is sufficient to infect the whole company ? 
" Purge out therefore the old leaven, and put away from among your- 
selves that wicked person. If any that is called a brother be a forni- 
cator, keep not company with such a one, no not to eat. Be not 
deceived : fornicators shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Know ye 
not that your bodies are the members of Christ ? Flee fornication, there- 
fore, and avoid the company of fornicators. For ye are bought with a 
price : therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are 
God's. Farther, I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have 
judged already concerning the lascivious person that is among you, to 
deliver such a one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the 
spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus," 1 Cor. v, vi. 

When the true minister has passed the severest censures upon sinners, 
and beholds those censures attended with the desired effect, he turns to 
the persons he lately rebuked with testimonies of that unbounded charity 
that "beareth all things, and hopeth all things." More ready, if pos- 
sible, to relieve the dejected than to humble the presumptuous, after 
having manifested the courage of a lion he puts on the gentleness of a 
lamb, consoling and encouraging the penitent offender, and never ceasing 
to intercede for him, till his pardon is obtained both from God and man. 
Thus St. Paul, who had so sharply rebuked the Corinthians in his first 
epistle, gave them abundant consolation in his second, and exhorted 
them to receive with kindness the person whom he had before enjoined 
them to excommunicate. It is easy to recognize the tenderness of Christ 



56 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL, 

in the following language of this benevolent apostle : " I wrote unto you 
my first epistle out of much affliction and anguish of heart, with many 
tears, not that ye should be grieved, but that ye might know the love 
which I have more abundantly unto you," 2 Cor. ii, 4. " Great is my 
glorying of you : I am filled with comfort, I am exceeding joyful in all 
our tribulation. God, that comforteth them that are cast down, com- 
forted us by the coming of Titus, my messenger, when he told us your 
earnest desire, your mourning, and your fervent mind toward me. For 
though I made you sorry with a letter, I do not repent, though I did 
repent. Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sor- 
rowed to repentance. For ye were made sorry after a godly manner. 
For behold, what carefulness it wrought in you ! What clearing of your- 
selves! What holy indignation ! What fear! What vehement desire ! 
What zeal ! What revenge ! In all things ye have approved yourselves 
to be clear in this matter. Moreover, we were comforted in your com- 
fort. Yea, and exceedingly the more joyed we for the joy of Titus, 
because his spirit was refreshed by you all. And his inward affection 
is more abundant toward you, while he remembereth the obedience of 
you all, and how you received him, together with my reproof, with fear 
and trembling. I rejoice, therefore, that I have confidence in you in 
all things," 2 Cor. vii. And with respect to the person who has caused 
us so much distress, " Sufficient to such a man is this punishment, which 
was inflicted of many. So that now ye ought rather to forgive him, 
and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with 
overmuch sorrow. Wherefore, I beseech you, that ye would confirm 
your love toward him. To whom ye forgive any thing, I forgive also : 
Nay, I have already forgiven him for your sakes, as in the presence of 
Christ," 2 Cor. ii, 6-10, 

Great God ! appoint over thy flock vigilant, charitable, and courage- 
ous pastors, who may discern the sinner through all his deceitful ap- 
pearances, and separate him from thy peaceful fold, whether he be an 
unclean goat or a ravenous wolf. Permit not thy ministers to confound 
the just with the unjust, rendering contemptible the most sacred mys- 
teries, by admitting to them persons with whom virtuous heathens 
would blush to converse. Touch the hearts of those pastors who harden 
thy rebellious people, by holding out tokens of thy favour to those who 
are the objects of thy wrath : and permit no longer the bread of life, 
which they carelessly distribute to all who choose to profane it, to be- 
come in their unhallowed hands the bread of death. Discover to them 
the impiety of offering their holy things to the dogs : and awaken in 
them a holy fear of becoming accomplices with those hypocritical mon- 
sters, who press into thy temple to crucify thy Son afresh ; and who, 
by a constant profanation of the symbols of our holy faith, add to their 
other abominations the execrable act of eating and drinking their own 
damnation, and that with as much composure as some among them 
swallow down the intoxicating draught, or utter the most impious 
blasphemies. 

AN OBJECTION ANSWERED. 

Before we proceed to the consideration of another trait of the cha- 
racter of St. Paul, it will be necessary to refute an objection to which 



THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 57 

the preceding trait may appear liable. " Dare you," it may be asked, 
" propose to us as a model, a man who could strike Elymas with blind- 
ness, and deliver up to Satan the body of a sinner ?" 

Answer. The excellent motive, and the happy success of the apostle's 
conduct in both these instances, entirely justify him. He considered 
affliction not only as the crucible in which God is frequently pleased to 
purify the just, but as the last remedy to be employed for the resto- 
ration of obstinate sinners. Behold the reason why the charity of the 
primitive Church demanded, in behalf of God, that the rod should not 
be spared, when the impiety of men was no longer able to be restrained 
by gentler means : determining, that it was far better to be brought to 
repentance, even by the sharpest sufferings, than to live and die in a 
sinful state. To exercise this high degree of holv and charitable severity 
toward a sinner, was, in some mysterious manner, " to deliver up his 
body to Satan," who was looked upon as the executioner of God's right- 
eous vengeance in criminal cases. Thus Satan destroyed the first-born in 
Egypt, smote the subjects of David with the pestilence, and cut off the 
vast army of Sennacherib. St. John has thrown some light upon this 
profound mystery by asserting, " There is a sin unto death," 1 John v, 
16 : and the case of Ahab is fully in point ; for when that king had 
committed this sin, a spirit of error received immediate orders to lead 
him forth to execution upon the plains of Ramoth-Gilead, 1 Kings xxii, 
20, 22. This awful doctrine is farther confirmed by St. Luke, when he 
relates, that in the same instant, when the people, in honour of Herod, 
" gave a shout, saying, It is the voice of a god and not of a man, the 
angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory : and 
he was eaten up of worms, and gave up the ghost," Acts xii, 22, 23. 
The punishment thus inflicted, by the immediate order of God, was 
always proportioned to the nature of the offence. If the sin was " not unto 
death," it was followed by some temporary affliction, as in the cases of 
Elymas and the incestuous Corinthian. If the crime committed was of 
such a nature that the death of the sinner became necessary, either for 
the salvation of his soul, for the reparation of his crime, or to alarm 
those who might probably be corrupted by his pernicious example, he 
was then either smitten with some incurable disease, as in the case of 
Herod ; or struck with immediate death, as in the case of Ananias and 
Sapphira, who sought to veil their hypocrisy with appearances of piety, 
and their double-dealing with a lie. Had M. Voltaire considered the 
Christian Church as a well-regulated species of theocracy, he would 
have seen the folly of his whole reasoning with respect to the authority of 
that Church in its primitive state. And convinced that God has a much 
greater right to pronounce, by his ministers, a just sentence of corporal 
punishment, and even death itself, than any temporal prince can claim 
to pronounce such sentence by his officers : that daring philosopher, 
instead of pointing his sarcasms against an institution so reasonable and 
holy, would have been constrained to tremble before the Judge of all the 
earth. 

Finally. It is to be observed, that when this kind of jurisdiction was 
exercised in the Church, the followers of Christ, not having any magis- 
trates of their own religion, lived under the government of those hea- 
thenish rulers, who tolerated those very crimes which were peculiarly 



68 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 

offensive to the pure spirit of the Gospel. And on this account God wa9 
pleased to permit the most eminent among his people, on some extra- 
ordinary occasions, to exercise that terrible power, which humbled the 
offending Church of Corinth, and overthrew the sorcerer Elymas in his 
wicked career. If it be inquired, What would become of mankind, were 
the clergy of this day possessed of the extraordinary power of St. Paul'! 
We answer, The terrible manner in which St. Paul sometimes exercised 
the authority he had received, with respect to impenitent sinners, is not 
left as an example to the ecclesiastics of the present day, unless they 
should come (which is almost impossible) into similar circumstances, 
and attain to equal degrees of discernment, faith, and charity, with this 
apostle himself. 



TRAIT XXVII. 
His perfect disinterestedness. 

If " charity seeketh not her own ;" and if it is required, that the con- 
versation of the faithful should be without covetousness, it becomes the 
true minister, in an especial manner, to maintain an upright and disin- 
terested conduct in the world. 

Though it be true, that " they which wait at the altar are partakers 
with the altar;" yet nothing is so detestable to the faithful pastor as the 
idea of enriching himself with the sacred spoils of that altar. Observe 
how St. Paul expresses himself upon this subject : " We brought nothing 
into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. Having, 
therefore, food and raiment, let us be therewith content. But they that 
will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and 
hurtful lusts, which drown men in perdition. For the love of money is 
the root of all evil : which, while some have coveted after, they have 
erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. 
But thou, O man of God," who art set apart as a minister of the ever- 
lasting Gospel, " flee these things , and follow after righteousness, god- 
liness, faith, love, patience, meekness," 1 Tim. vi, 7—11. With regard 
to myself, " I have learned, in whatever state I am, therewith to be 
content. Every where, and in all things, I am instructed both to be full 
and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need," Phil, iv, 11, 12. 
" Neither at any time used we flattering words, as ye know, nor a cloak 
of covetousness ; God is witness. For ye remember our labour and 
travail, because we would not be chargeable unto any of you. Ye are 
our witnesses, and God also, how holily, and justly, and unblamably, Ave 
behaved ourselves among you that believe, 1 Thess. ii, 5, 10. Behold, 
the third time I am ready to come to you ; and I will not be burdensome 
to you ; for I seek not yours, but you : for the children ought not to lay 
up for the parents, but the parents for the children. And I will very 
gladly spend and be spent for you," 2 Cor. xii, 14, 15. Behold the 
disinterestedness of the faithful shepherd, who is ever less ready to 
receive food and clothing from the flock than to labour for its protection 
and support ! Behold the spirit of Christ ! And let the pastor, who is 
influenced by a different spirit, draw that alarming inference from his 
state, which he is taught to do by the following expression of St. Paul .* 



THE PORTRAIT OF 3T. PAUL. 59 

" If any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his," Rom. 
viii, 9. 

Happy would be the Christian Church were it blessed with disinte- 
rested pastors ! Avaricious ministers, who are more taken up with the 
concerns of earth than with the things of heaven, who are more disposed 
to enrich their families than to supply the necessities of the poor, who 
are more eager to multiply their benefices, or to augment their salaries, 
than to improve their talents, and increase the number of the faithful : 
such ministers, instead of benefiting the Church, harden the impenitent, 
aggravate their own condemnation, and force infidels to believe that the 
holy ministry is used, by the generality of its professors, as a comfortable 
means of securing to themselves the perishable bread, if not the fading 
honours, of the present life. 



TRAIT XXVIII. 

His condescension in labouring at times with his own hands, that he might 
pi-each industry hy example, as well as by precept. 

Such is the disinterestedness of the true minister, that though he might 
claim a subsistence from the sacred office to which he has been solemnly 
consecrated, yet he generously chooses to sacrifice his rights when he 
cannot enjoy them without giving some occasion for reproach. To 
supply his daily wants, he is not ashamed to labour with his own hands, 
when he is called to publish the Gospel, either among the poor, or in 
those countries where the law has not appointed him a maintenance, as 
among heathen, nations and savage tribes : nor will he refuse to do this 
when his lot falls among a slothful people, animating them to diligence 
in their several vocations by his prudent condescension, that the Gospel 
may not be blamed. In such circumstances, if his own patrimony be 
insufficient for his support, no disciple of Jesus will blush to follow the 
example of St. Paul, who gives the following representation of his own 
conduct in cases of a like nature : " Have I committed an offence in 
abasing myself that you might be exalted, because I have preached to 
you the Gospel of God freely ? When I was present with you and wanted, 
I was chargeable to no man : in all things I have kept myself from being 
burthensome unto y ou, and so will I keep myself. As the truth of Christ 
is in me, no man shall stop me of this boasting in the regions of Achaia. 
Wherefore ? because I love you not ? God knoweth. But that I may 
cut off occasion from them that desire occasion," and who would not 
fail to represent me as a self-interested person, were they able to charge 
me with the enjoyment of my just rights among you, 2 Cor. xi, 7-12. 
" I have coveted no man's silver, or gold, or apparel : ye yourselves 
know that these hands have ministered unto my necessities, and to them 
that were with me. I have showed you all things, how that so labour- 
ing ye ought to support the weak ; and to remember the words of the 
Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive," 
Acts xx, 33, 35. Ye know how ye ought to follow us : for we behaved 
not ourselves disorderly among you, neither did w 7 e eat any man's bread 
for nought ; but wrought with labour and travail night and day, that we 
might not be chargeable to any of you ; not because we have not power 



60 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. TAUL. 

but to make ourselves an ensample unto you. For even when we were 
with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither 
should he eat. For we hear that there are some which walk among 
you disorderly, working not at all, but are busy bodies," 2 Thess. iii, 
7—11. Happy were those times of Christian simplicity, when the apostles 
of Christ thought it no disgrace to follow some useful occupation for the 
relief of their temporal necessities : when, instead of eating the bread 
of idleness, they cast their net alternately for fishes and for men : when 
they quitted the tabernacles, in which they were wont to labour, for the 
sacred recreation of setting before sinners " a building of God, a house 
not made with hands, eternal in the heavens." Of how much greater 
value were the nets of St. Peter than dogs of the chase ; and the work- 
ing implements of St. Paul than those tables of play, at which many of 
his unworthy successors are now seeking amusement ! 

But notwithstanding all the circumspection and prudence of the faith- 
ful pastor, even though he should think it necessary to preach industry 
by example as well as by precept, yet if his exhortations are more fre- 
quent than those of his lukewarm brethren, he will be reproached by the 
irreligious part of the world, as an indirect advocate for indolence. The 
enemies of piety and truth are still ready to renew the old objections of 
Pharaoh against the service of God : " Wherefore do ye let the people 
from their works ? The people of the land are many, and you make 
them rest from their burdens. They be idle : therefore they cry, saying, 
Let us go and sacrifice to our God. Let there more work be laid upon 
the men, and let them not regard vain words," Exodus v, 4, 9. Such 
is the erroneous judgment which is generally formed respecting the most 
zealous servants of God : but while they feel the bitterness of these unmerited 
reproaches, they draw more abundant consolation from the encouraging 
language of their gracious Master : " Blessed are ye when men shall 
say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake. Rejoice and be 
exceeding glad, for great is 3'our reward in heaven : for so persecuted 
they the prophets, which were before you," Matt, v, 11, 12. 

The declared adversaries of religion are not, however, the only per- 
sons who accuse a laborious minister of diverting the people from their 
business, by the too frequent returns of public exhortation and prayer. 
There are others, not wholly destitute of piety, who frequently add weight 
to these unjust accusations. Such are the half converted, who, not yet 
understanding the inestimable worth of that bread which nourisheth the 
soul to everlasting life, are chiefly engaged in labouring for the bread 
which perisheth. Men of this character, engaging themselves in a vast 
variety of earthly concerns, incessantly " disquiet themselves in vain," 
and consider those hours as running to waste, in which a zealous pastor 
detains them from worldly cares and frivolous enjoyments. While he is 
engaged in teaching, that " one thing [only] is [absolutely] needful," they 
are grasping at every apparent good that solicits their affections : and 
while he is insisting upon the necessity of choosing " that good part that 
shall not be taken away," these formal professors are ready to reason 
with him, as Martha with Jesus, Dost thou not know how greatly we 
are cumbered with a multiplicity of vexatious concerns ; and " carest 
thou not" that our assistants and dependents are detained from their ne- 
cessary avocations by an indolent attendance upon thy ministry 1 



TILE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 61 

These false sentiments, with respect both to the ministers and the word 
of God, which too generally prevail among nominal Christians, have 
their source in that direct opposition, which must always subsist between 
the grand maxim of the children of God, and the distinguishing principle 
of worldly men : " Seek ve first the kingdom of God, and his righteous- 
ness," saith the blessed Jesus, " and all these things," which are farther 
necessary to vour welfare, " shall be added unto you," Matt, vi, 33. 
No, replies the prince of this world ; seek ye first the enjoyments of time 
and sense, and all other things, that are needful to your well being, shall 
be added over and above. From these two opposite principles results 
that entire contrariety, which has been observed in all ages, between 
those who are laying' up treasures upon earth, and those who have set 
their affections upon things that are above. Happy are the faithful, and 
doublv happy the pastors, who, constantly imitating the great apostle, 
according to their several vocations, pray and labour at the same time, 
both for their daily bread, and the bread of eternal life ! In thus observ- 
ing the twofold command of Moses and of Christ, some reasonable hope 
may be entertained, that their good works will at length overcome the 
aversion of their enemies, as those of the first Christians overcame the 
deep-rooted prejudices of the heathen world. 



TRAIT XXIX. 

The respect he manifested for the holy estate of matrimony, while Christian 
prudence engaged him to live in a state of celibacy. 

Some ministers have carried their disinterestedness to so high a pitch, 
that they have refused to enter into the marriage state, merely with this 
view ; that being free from all superfluous care and expense, they might 
consecrate their persons more entirely to the Lord, and their possessions 
less reservedly to the support of the poor, whom they considered as their 
children, and adopted as their heirs. But all pastors are not called to 
follow these rare examples of abstinence and disinterested piety. 

When we examine into the life of a celebrated man, we generally 
inquire whether he passed his days in a state of marriage or celibacy, 
and what it w r as that determined his choice to the one or the other of 
these states. Such an inquiry is peculiarly necessary with respect to 
St. Paul, as many of the faithful, in the earliest ages of the Church, de- 
luded by the amiable appearance of celibacy, embraced the monastic 
life, — a state to which the clergy and the religious of the Romish Church 
still dedicate themselves : whence those disgraceful accusations which 
divers philosophers have preferred against the Christian religion, as 
destructive of society in its very origin, which is the conjugal bond. But 
leaving the reveries of legend, if we seek for Christianity in the pure 
Gospel of Christ, we shall find this accusation to be totally groundless : 
since one view of the Christian Legislator, in publishing that Gospel, 
was to strengthen the nuptial tie, by declaring that an immodest glance 
is a species of adultery, by revoking the permission formerly given to 
the husband to put away his wife for any temporary cause of dissatis- 
faction, and by absolutely forbidding divorce, except in case of adultery. 



62 THE TOKTBAIT OF ST. PAUL. 

Matt, v, 28, 32. Nay, so far did this Divine Lawgiver carry his con- 
descension in honour of the marriage state, that he was present at one 
of those solemn feasts, which were usually held upon such occasions, 
attended by the holy virgin and his twelve disciples. And not content 
with giving this public testimony of his respect for so honourable an 
institution, he accompanied it with the first miraculous proof of his 
almighty power. 

St. Paul, it is true, passed the whole of his life in a state of celibacy ; 
but he never enjoined that state to any person : and if he occasionally 
recommended it to some, to whom it was indifferent whether they mar- 
ried or not, it was chiefly on account of the distress and persecution of 
those times, 1 Cor. vii, 26. To engage the most pious persons ordina- 
rily to live in a state of celibacy, is not less contrary to nature and reason, 
than to the spirit of the Gospel. This is to oppose the propagation of 
the best Christians, and the most faithful subjects. It is to suppose that 
those persons who join example to precept in the cause of virtue, and 
who, for that very reason, are peculiarly qualified for the education of 
children, are the only persons in the world who ought to have none. 
The absurdity of this opinion constrained the Apostle Paul publicly to 
combat it, by declaring to the Hebrews, that " marriage, and the bed 
undefiled, are honourable among all men," Heb. xiii, 4. He farther 
affirmed, that " a bishop must be the husband of one wife, one that ruleth 
well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity," 
1 Tim. iii, 2, 4. And if he wished the Corinthians to continue in the 
state which he himself had chosen, on account of the peculiar advantages 
accruing from it, at that season, to the persecuted members of the Chris- 
tian Church : " nevertheless, to avoid fornication," he counselled, that 
" every man should have his own wife," and " every woman her own 
husband," 1 Cor. vii, 2. " I will," saith he to Timothy, " that the younger 
women marry, bear children, and guide the house," 1 Tim. v, 14. And 
lastly, he cautioned the same Christian bishop against the error of those 
who, in the last times, should " depart from the faith, giving heed to the 
doctrines of devils," and " forbidding to marry ;" earnestly exhorting his 
young successor to guard the brethren against a doctrine so fatal to the 
Church in particular, and so destructive of society in general, 1 Tim. 
iv, 1, 6. 

But it may be urged — If St. Paul really entertained such high ideas 
of marriage, and represented it as the most perfect emblem of that strict 
union which subsists between Christ and his Church, why did he not 
recommend it by his example 1 I answer — Although St. Paul was never 
married, yet he expressly asserted his right to that privilege, as well as 
St. Peter, and some others of the apostles, 1 Cor. ix, 5, intimating, at 
the same time, that prudence and charity inclined him to forego his right 
in that respect. When a man is perpetually called to travel from place to 
place, prudence requires that he should not encumber himself with those 
domestic cares, which must occasion many unavoidable delays in the 
prosecution of his business. Or, if he derives his maintenance from the 
generosity of the poor, charity should constrain him to burden them as 
little as possible. This zealous apostle could not prevail upon himself 
to expose a woman and children to those innumerable dangers which he 
was constantly obliged to encounter. The first peril, from which he 



THE PORTRAIT OF ST. TAUt. 63 

made his escape, was that which compelled him to descend from the 
wall of Damascus in a basket. Now, if a family had shared with him 
the same danger, what an addition would they have made to his afflic- 
tion and care ! Is it not evident that, in such circumstances, every man 
who is not obliged to marry, from reasons either physical or moral, is 
called to imitate the example of this disinterested apostle, from the same 
motives of prudence and charity ? This indefatigable preacher, always 
on a mission, judged it advisable to continue in a single state to the end 
of his days. But, had he been fixed in a particular church ; had he 
there felt ho^ much it concerns a minister neither to tempt others nor 
be tempted himself; and had he known how much assistance a modest, 
provident, and pious woman is capable of affording a pastor, by inspect- 
ing the women of his flock — he would then probably have advised every 
resident pastor to enter into the marriage state, provided they should fix 
upon regenerate persons, capable of edifying the Church, in imitation of 
Phebe, a deaconess of Cenchrea and Persis, who was so dear to St. Paul 
on account of her labours in the Lord, Rom. xvi, 1, 12 ; or copying the 
example of those four virgins, the daughters of Philip, who edified, ex- 
horted, and consoled the faithful by their pious discourses, Acts xxi, 9.* 
The Christian doctrine on this point may be reduced to the following 
heads. 1. In times of great trouble, and grievous persecutions, the fol- 
lowers of Christ should abstain from marriage, unless obliged thereto by 
particular and powerful reasons, Matt, xxiv, 19. 2. The faithful, who 
mean to embrace the nuptial state, should be careful, on no account tc 
connect themselves with any persons except such as are remarkable for 
their seriousness and piety, 2 Cor. vi, 14. 3. If a man is married before 
he is converted ; or if, being converted, he is deceived in choosing a 
woman, whom he supposes to be pious, but discovers to be worldly ; 
instead of separating himself from his wife, in either of these cases, he 
is rather called to give all diligence in bringing her acquainted with the 
truth as it is in Jesus, 1 Cor. vii, 16. 4. Missionaries ought not to 
marry, unless there be an absolute necessity. 5. A bishop, or resident 

* The attention of ministers, in choosing such companions as may not hinder 
their success in the ministry, is of so great importance, that in some countries 
the conduct of a pastor's wife, as well as that of the pastor himself, is supposed 
either to edify or mislead the flock. Nay, the minister himself is frequently con- 
demned for the faults of his wife. Thus, in the Protestant Churches of Hungary 
they degrade a pastor whose wife indulges herse'f in cards, dancing, or any other 
public amusement, which bespeaks the gayety of a lover of the world, rather than 
the gravity of a Christian matron. This severity springs from the supposition 
that the woman, having promised obedience to her husband, can do nothing but 
what he either directs or approves. Hence ihey conclude, that example having 
a greater influence than precept, the wife of a minister, if she is inclined to the 
world, will preach worldly compliance with more success by her conduct, than 
her husband can preach the renunciation of the world by the most solemn dis- 
courses. And the incredulity of the stumbled flock will always be the consequence 
of that unhappy inconsistency, which is observable between the serious instruc- 
tions of a well-disposed minister, and the trifling conduct of a woman with whom 
he is so intimately connected. Nor are there wanting apostolic ordinances suf- 
ficient to support the exercise of this severe discipline : — Even so must their wives 
be grave, not slanderers, sober, faithful in all things. Let the bishop or deacon 
be one that ruleth well his own house, having his children, and every part of his 
family, in subjection with all gravity. For if a man know not how to rule his own 
house, how shall he take care of the Church of God ? 1 Tim. iii, 4, 5, 11. 



64 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 

pastor, is usually called to the marriage state, 1 Tim. iii, 12 ; Tit. i, 6. 
Lastly, a minister of the Gospel, who is able to live in a state of celibacy 
" for the kingdom of heaven's sake," that he may have no other care, 
except that of preaching the Gospel, and attending upon the members 
of Christ's mystical body ; such a one is undoubtedly called to continue 
in a single state. For having obtained the gift of continence, he is dis- 
pensed from carnally giving children to the Church, because he begets 
her spiritual sons and daughters. And such a one, instead of being 
honoured as the head of a particular household, should be counted 
worthy of double honour, as a spiritual father in his Lord's family, 
Matt, xix, 12. 



TRAIT XXX. 

TJie ardour of his love. 

The passions are the springs by which we are usually actuated. 
Reason alone is too weak to put us in motion so often as duty requires ; 
but when love, that sacred passion of the faithful, comes in to its assist- 
ance, we are then sweetly constrained to act in conformity to the various 
relations we sustain in civil and religious life. Thus the God of nature 
has rooted in the hearts of mothers a fond affection, which keeps them 
anxiously attentive to the wants of their children. And thus the Spirit 
of God implants in the bosom of a good pastor that ardent charity 
which excites him to watch over his flock with the most affectionate and 
unwearied attention. The love of a father to his son, the attachment of 
a nurse to her foster child, the tender affection of a mother to her infant, 
are so many emblems employed in the Holy Scriptures to set forth the 
sweetness and ardour of that Christian love which animates the true 
minister to the performance of his several duties. " You know," says 
St. Paul, " how we exhorted, and comforted, and charged every one of 
you, as a father doth his children : we were gentle among you, even as 
a nurse cherisheth her children. So, being affectionately desirous of 
you, we were willing to have imparted unto you, not the Gospel of God 
only, but also our own souls, because ye were dear unto us," 1 Thess. 
ii, 7, 8, 11. " God is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the 
bowels of Jesus Christ," Phil, i, 8. " Receive us ; for ye are in our 
hearts to die and live with you," 2 Cor. vii, 2, 3. Worldly pastors can 
form no idea of that ardent charity which dictates such benevolent lan- 
guage, and accompanies it with actions which demonstrate its sincerity. 
This is one of those mysterious things which are perfectly incompre- 
hensible to the natural man, and which frequently appear to him as the 
extremesi folly. This fervent love improves us into new creatures, by 
the sweet influence it maintains over all our tempers. This holy passion 
deeply interests the faithful pastor in the concerns of his fellow Christians, 
and teaches him to rejoice in the benefits they receive, as though his 
own prosperity were inseparably connected with theirs. " I thank my 
God," writes the great apostle to the benefactor of his brethren, " making 
mention of thee always in my prayers, hearing of thy love and faith, 
which thou hast toward the Lord Jesus, and toward all saints ; that the 
communication of thy faith may become effectual, by the acknowledging 



THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 65 

of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus. For we have 
great joy and consolation in thy love, because the bowels of the saints 
are refreshed by thee, brother," Phil, v, 4-7. The sorrow and the 
joy of this zealous imitator of Christ were generally influenced by the 
varying states of the faithful. When any, who had once run well, were 
seen loitering by the way, or starting aside from the path of life, he 
expressed the most sincere affliction on their account. There are some, 
" pf whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that 
they are the enemies of the cross of Christ," Phil, iii, 18. On the other 
hand, the progress of believers was as marrow to his bones, and as the 
balsam of life to his heart : " We are glad when we are weak, and ye 
are strong : and this also we wish, even your perfection," 2 Cor. xiii, 9. 
" My brethren, dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, stand 
fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved. Be blameless and harmless, the 
sons of God without rebuke, holding forth the word of life, that I may 
rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured 
in vain," Phil, iv, 1 ; ii, 15, 16. 

Reader, whoever thou art, permit me to ask thee an important ques- 
tion. Art thou acquainted with that ardent charity that influenced the 
Apostle Paul ? If his Christian love was like a rapid and deep river ; is 
thine at least like a running stream whose waters fail not ? Do thy joys 
and thy sorrows flow in the same channel, and tend to the same point, as 
the sanctified passions of this benevolent man ? - Relate the chief causes 
of thy satisfaction and thy displeasure, and I will tell thee whether, 
like Demas, thou art a child of this present world, or a fellow citizen of 
heaven, with St. Paul.* 



TRAIT XXXI. 

His generous fears and succeeding consolations. 

When the Church is threatened with a storm, the worldly pastor has 
no fears except for himself and his relations. But the true minister, if 
he be at all disquieted with fear, when the Lord's vessel is driven with 
the winds, or appears to be in danger through the indiscreet conduct of 
false or unloving brethren, he feels much less for his own safety than for 
the security of his companions in tribulation. He fears especially for 
the weak of the flock, and for those of the faithful who are exposed to 
violent temptation. And these generous fears, which equally prove his 
holy zeal and brotherly love, without robbing him of all his joy, afford 
him frequent opportunities of exercising his faith, his resignation, and 
his hope. " We are troubled," saith St. Paul, " on every side ; without 
were fightings, within were fears. I fear, lest by any means, as the 
serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be cor- 
rupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. 1 fear, lest when I come, I 
shall not find you such as I would," 2 Cor. vii, 5 ; xi, 3 ; xii, 20. " When 
we could no longer forbear, we sent Timothy to establish you, and to comfort 

* Have you more joy when your preaching augments your income, than when 
you observe a wandering sheep conducted into the right way ? Then conclude 
that you preach more for mammon than for Christ. — M. RoauEs. 

Vol. III. 5 



66 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PALX. 

you concerning your faith, that no man should be moved by these afflic- 
tions : for yourselves know that we are appointed thereto. For verily, 
when we were with you, we told you before, that we should suffer tribu- 
lation ; even as it came to pass. For this cause, when I could no longer 
forbear, I sent to know your faith, lest by some means the tempter should 
have tempted you, and our labour be in vain," 1 Thess. iii, 1, 5. 

Though these " fightings without," and these " fears within," are 
always painful to the flesh, yet they are as constantly beneficial to the soul. 
If they subject the true minister for a season to the keenest affliction, 
they prepare him in the end for " strong consolation." Observe the 
manner in which the great apostle expresses himself upon this point : 
" We would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble, which came 
to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, inso- 
much that we despaired even of life. We had the sentence of death in 
ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth 
the dead : who delivereth us from so great a death, and doth deliver : in 
whom we trust that he will yet deliver us," 2 Cor. i, 8, 10. "I would 
ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me 
have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the Gospel ; so that my bonds 
in Christ are manifest in all the palace, and in all other places ; and many 
of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much 
more bold to speak the word without fear," Phil, i, 12, 14. Hence, 
" we glory in tribulations : knowing that tribulation worketh patience ; 
and patience, experience ; and experience, hope ; and hope maketh not 
ashamed, because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the 
Holy Ghost which is given unto us," Rom. v, 3, 5. " Blessed be God, 
the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort ; who comfbrteth us 
in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in 
any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of 
God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation 
also aboundeth by Christ," 2 Cor. i, 2, 5. 

If those who are honoured with a commission to publish the Gospel 
were fully convinced how gracious and powerful a Master they serve, 
instead of being alarmed at the sight of those labours and dangers which 
await them in the exercise of their ministry, they would stand prepared 
to run all hazards in his service ; as courageous soldiers who fight under 
the eye of a generous prince, are ready to expose their lives for the aug- 
mentation of his glory. Can it become good pastors to manifest less 
concern for the salvation of their brethren, than mercenary warriors for 
the destruction of their prince's foes ? And if the Romans generously 
exposed themselves to death in preserving the life of a fellow citizen, for 
the trifling reward of a civic wreath, how much greater magnanimity 
should a Christian pastor discover in rescuing the souls of his brethren 
from a state of perdition, for the glorious reward of a never-fading 
crown ? 



THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 67 



TRAIT XXXII. 



The grand subject of his glorying, and the evangelical manner in which he 
maintained his superiority over false apostles. 

The disposition of a faithful pastor is, in every respect, diametrically 
opposite to that of a worldly minister. If you observe the conversation 
of an ecclesiastic who is influenced by the spirit of the world, you will 
hear him intimating either that he has, or that he would not be sorry to 
have, the precedency among his brethren, to live in a state of affluence 
and splendour, and lo secure to himself such distinguished appointments 
as would increase both his dignity and his income, without making any 
extraordinary addition to his pastoral labours. You will find him anxious 
to be admitted into the best companies, and occasionally forming parties 
for the chase or some other vain amusement. While the true pastor 
cries out in the self-renouncing language of the great apostle : " God 
forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by 
whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world," Gal. vi, 14. 

If the minister who is really formed to preside in the Church, were 
singled out from among his brethren, and placed in an apostolic chair, 
he would become the more humble for his exaltation. If such a one 
were slighted and vilified by false apostles, he would not appeal, for the 
honour of his character, to the superiority of his talents, his rank, or his 
mission ; but rather to the superiority of his labours, his dangers, and his 
sufferings. Thus, at least, St. Paul defended the dignity of his character 
against the unjust insinuations of his adversaries in the ministry : " Are 
they ministers of Christ ? (I speak as a fool) I am more." But in what 
manner did he attempt to prove this? Was it by saying, I have a 
richer benefice than the generality of ministers ; I am a doctor, a pro- 
fessor of divinity, I bear the mitre, and dwell in an episcopal palace ? 
No : instead of this he used the following apostolic language : " In 
labours I am more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more 
frequent, in deaths oft. In journeyings often, in perils in the city, in 
perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils by the heathen, 
in perils among false brethren : in weariness and painfulness, in watch- 
ings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness. 
Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, 
the care of all the Churches. Who is weak and I am not weak ? Who is 
offended and I burn not ? If I must needs glory, I will glory in the 
things which concern mine infirmities," 2 Cor. xi, 23-30. " From 
henceforth let no man trouble me : for I bear in my body the marks of 
the Lord Jesus," Gal. vi, 17. Such are the appeals of holy prelates. 
But for a man to glory at having obtained a deanery, a professor's chair, 
or a bishopric, is in reality to boast of his unfaithfulness to his vocation, 
and to prove himself unworthy of the rank to which he has been inju- 
diciously raised. 

Ye who preside over the household of God, learn of the Apostle Paul 
to manifest your real superiority. Surpass your inferiors in humility, 
in charity, in zeal, in your painful labours for the salvation of sinners, 
in your invincible courage to encounter those dangers which threaten 
your brethren, and by your unwearied patience in bearing those perse- 



68 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 

cutions which the faithful disciples of Christ are perpetually called to 
endure from a corrupt world. Thus shall you honourably replace the 
first Christian prelates, and happily restore the Church to its primitive 
dignity. 



TRAIT XXXIII. 
His patience and fortitude under the severest trials. 

" Charity is not easily provoked," but on the contrary " thinketh no 
evil." Full of patience and meekness, Christ distinguished himself by 
his abundant love to those from whom he received the most cruel treat- 
ment. Thus also the ministers of Christ are distinguished, who, as they 
are more or less courageous and indefatigable in the work of the minis- 
try, are enabled to adopt the following declaration of St. Paul with more 
or less propriety : " Being reviled, we bless ; being persecuted, we suffer 
it ; being defamed, we entreat : we are made as the filth of the world, 
and are as the offscouring of all things unto this day," 1 Cor. iv, 12, 13. 
" Giving no offence in any thing, that the ministry be not blamed : but 
in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God in much 
patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, in stripes, in imprison- 
ments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings ; by pureness, by 
knowledge, by long suffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love 
unfeigned, by the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of 
righteousness on the right hand and on the left," which enables us to 
attack error and vice, while it shields us from their assaults ; " by honour 
and dishonour ; by evil report and good report ; as deceivers, and yet 
true ; as unknown, and yet well known ; as dying, and behold we live ; 
as chastened, and not killed ; as sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing ; as 
poor, yet making many rich ; as having nothing, and yet possessing all 
things," 2 Cor. vi, 3, 10. 

Far from being discouraged by the trials which befall him, the true 
minister is disposed in such circumstances to pray with the greater fer- 
vency ; and according to the ardour and constancy of his prayers, such 
are the degrees of fortitude and patience to which he attains. " We 
have not received," saith St. Paul, " the spirit of bondage again to fear ; 
but we have received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, 
Father. The Spirit itself," amidst all our distresses, "beareth witness 
with our spirit, that we are the children of God. Likewise the Spirit 
also helpeth our infirmities. For we know not what we should pray for 
as we ought : but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groan- 
ings which cannot be uttered," Rom. viii, 15, 26. "I besought the 
Lord thrice, that this trial might depart from me. And he said unto me, 
My grace is sufficient for thee : for my strength is made perfect in 
weakness. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in 
necessities, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake : for when I 
am weak, then am I strong," 2 Cor. xii, 8-10. "I can do all things 
through Christ which strengtheneth me," Phil, iv, 13. 

What an advantage, what an honour is it, to labour in the service of 
so gracious and powerful a Master ! By the power with which he con- 
trols the world, he overrules all things " for good to them that love him." 



THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 69 

Their most pungent sorrows are succeeded by peculiar consolations : 
the reproach of the cross prepares them for the honours of a crown ; 
and the flames, in which they are sometimes seen to blaze, become like 
that chariot of fire which conveyed Elijah triumphantly away from the 
fiiry of Jezebel. 



TRAIT XXXIV. 
His modest firmness before magistrates. 

Supported by a strong persuasion that God and truth are on his side, 
the faithful minister is carried above all those disheartening fears which 
agitate the hearts of worldly pastors. Depending upon the truth of that 
solemn prediction, " They will deliver you up to the council, and ye 
shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony 
against them and the Gentiles ;" he expects in times of persecution to 
appear before magistrates, and possibly before kings, for the cause of 
Christ and his Gospel. Nor is he affected at such a prospect. Rely, 
ing on the promise of that compassionate Redeemer, who once appeared 
for him before Annas and Caiaphas, Herod and Pontius Pilate, without 
anxiously premeditating what he shall answer, and resting assured that 
wisdom shall be given him in every time of need, he cries out with the 
holy determination of the psalmist, "I will speak of thy testimonies also 
before kings, and will not be ashamed," Psalm cxix, 46. 

When he is brought as a malefactor before the judge, while his 
accusers, actuated by a malicious zeal, agree to say, " We have found 
this man a pestilent fellow, a mover of sedition among the people," and 
one of the ringleaders of a new and dangerous sect ; he justifies himself 
by answering, The witnesses who appear against me this day, neither 
found me trampling under foot the authority of my superiors, nor sowing 
the seeds of sedition among the people ; " neither can they prove the 
things whereof they now accuse me. But this I confess, that after the 
way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believ- 
ing all things which are written in the law and the prophets ; and have 
hope toward God, which they themselves allow, that there shall be a 
resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust." And supposing 
his accusers are not only deists, but professors of the Christian faith, he 
will add, This also I confess, that in conformity to those principles, which 
pretended philosophers term superstitious, and which lukewarm Chris- 
tians call enthusiastic, " I believe" not only " in God the Father Almighty," 
but also in Jesus Christ his only Son, whom I acknowledge to be " King 
of kings, and Lord of lords, and who, after having suffered for our sins, 
rose again for our justification." Farther: I joyfully subscribe to that 
confession of faith, which is frequently in your own mouths, " I believe 
in the Holy Ghost," who regenerates and sanctifies every true member 
of "the holy catholic Church :" and I participate with those members the 
common advantages of our most holy faith, which are an humble con- 
sciousness of "the forgiveness of sins," a lively hope of "the resurrec- 
tion of the body," and a sweet anticipation o c " everlasting life." " And 
herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence 
toward God and toward men," Acts xxiv, 5, 16. If his judge, already 



70 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 

prejudiced against him, should unbecomingly join issue with his accusers, 
and charge him with extravagance and fanaticism ; he will answer after 
St. Paul, with all due respect, " I am not mad : but speak forth the words 
of truth and soberness. And I would to God, that not only thou, but 
also all who hear me this day were altogether such as I am, except 
these bonds," Acts xxvi, 24, 29. 

After a pastor has had experience of these difficult trials, he is then 
in a situation to confirm younger ministers in the manner of St. Paul : 
" I know whom I have believed, and I am persuaded that he is able to 
keep that which I have committed unto him against that day. At my 
first answer no man stood with me ; but all men forsook me : notwith- 
standing, the Lord stood with me and strengthened me : that by me the 
preaching might be fully known, and that all the Gentiles might hear 
the Gospel : and I was delivered out of the mouth of the Hon. And the 
Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto 
his heavenly kingdom : to whom be glory for ever and ever," 2 Tim. i, 
12 ; iv, 16, 18. 

Behold the inconvenience and dangers to which not only Christian 
pastors, but all who follow the steps of the Apostle Paul, will be exposed 
in every place, where the bigoted or incredulous occupy the first posts 
in Church or state ! And whether we are called to endure torments, 
or only to suffer reproach in the cause of truth, let us endeavour to sup- 
port the sufferings that shall fall to our lot, with that resolution and 
meekness, of which St. Paul and his adorable Master have left us such 
memorable examples. 



TRAIT XXXV. 
His courage in consoling his persecuted brethren. 

Persuaded that " all who will live godly in Christ Jesus," and par 
ticularly his ministers, "shall suffer persecution," 2 Tim. iii, 12, the 
good pastor looks for opposition from every quarter ; and whenever he 
suffers for the testimony he bears to the truths of the Gospel, he suffers 
not only with resolution, but with joy. 

The more the god of this degenerate world exalts himself in opposi- 
tion to truth, the more he disposes every sincere heart for the reception 
of it. The Gospel is that everlasting rock upon which the Church is 
founded, and against which the gates of hell can never prevail ; and 
though this rock is assailed by innumerable hosts of visible and invisible 
enemies, yet their repeated assaults serve only to demonstrate, with 
increasing certainty, its unshaken firmness and absolute impenetrabilitv. 
A clear sight of the sovereign good, as presented to us in the Gospel, is 
sufficient to make it universally desirable. The veil of inattention, 
however, conceals, in a great measure, this sovereign good, and the 
mists of prejudice entirely obscure it. But by the inhuman conduct of 
the persecutors of Christianity, their false accusations, their secret plots, 
and their unexampled cruelty, these mists are frequently dissipated, and 
these veils rent in twain from the top to the bottom. Error is by these 
means unwittingly exposed to the view of the world ; while every im- 
partial observer, attracted by the charms of persecuted truth, examines 



THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUl.. 71 

into its nature, acknowledges its excellence, and at length triumphs in 
the possession of that inestimable pearl which he once despised. Thus 
the tears of the faithful, and the blood of confessors, have been generally- 
found to scatter and nourish the seed of the kingdom. 

Ye zealous defenders of truth ! let not the severest persecutions alarm 
your apprehension, or weaken your confidence, since every trial of this 
kind must necessarily terminate in your own advantage, as well as in 
the establishment and glory of the Christian faith. Error, always 
accompanied with contradictions, and big with absurd consequences, 
will shortly appear to be supported by no other prop than that of preju- 
dice or passion, or the despotism of a usurped authority, which renders 
itself odious by the very means employed for its support. The more 
the partizans of every false doctrine sound the alarm against you, the 
more they resemble a violent multitude opposing the efforts of a few who 
are labouring to extinguish the fire that consumes their neighbours' 
habitations ; the different conduct of the one and the other must, sooner 
or later, manifest the incendiaries. Error may be compared to a vessel 
of clay, and truth to a vase of massy gold. In vain is calumny en- 
deavouring to render the truth contemptible by overheaping it with every 
thing that is abominable ; in vain would prejudice give error an amiable 
appearance by artfully concealing its defects : for whenever the hand of 
persecution shall furiously hurl the latter against the former, the solid 
gold will sustain the shock unhurt, while the varnished clay shall be 
dashed in pieces. The experience, however, of seventeen ages has not 
been sufficient to demonstrate to persecutors a truth so evident ; nor are 
there wanting inexperienced believers in the Church who are ready to 
call it in ques;ion, and who, " when persecution ariseth because of the 
word," are unhappily observed to lose their Christian resolution. But, 
" why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing, the 
kings of the earth stand up, and the rulers take counsel together against 
the Lord, and against his anointed ? He that dwelleth in heaven shall 
laugh them to scorn," and make their malice serve to the accomplish- 
ment of his great designs, Psalm ii, 1-4. 

Thus the Jews, in crucifying Christ, contributed to lay the grand 
foundation of the Christian Church ; and afterward, by persecuting the 
Apostle Paul to death, gave him an opportunity of bearing the torch of 
truth to Rome, and even into the palaces of its emperors. And it was 
from Rome itself, as from the jaws of a devouring lion, that he comforted 
the faithful, who were ready to faint at his afflictions, and encouraged 
them to act in conformity to their glorious vocation. " I suffer trouble 
as an evil doer, even unto bonds ; but the word of God is not bound. 
Therefore I endure all things for the elect's sake, that they may also obtain 
the salvation which is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory. It is a faith- 
ful saying ; for if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him ; if 
we suffer, we shall also reign with him ; if we deny him, he will also 
deny us. Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, 
nor of me his prisoner ; but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the 
Gospel, according to the power of God, who hath called us according to 
his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus, who 
hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light 
through the Gospel. Whereunto I am appointed a preacher and an 



72 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 

apostle, for the which cause I also suffer these things ; nevertheless 1 
am not ashamed. Thou, therefore, endure hardness as a good soldier 
of Jesus Christ," 2 Tim. ii, 9-12 ; i, 8-12 ; ii, 3. 

Happy is the faithful minister of Christ amid all the severe afflictions 
to which he is sometimes exposed ! Though " troubled on every side," 
yet he is " not distressed ;" though " perplexed," yet " not in despair ;" 
though " persecuted," yet " not forsaken ;" though " cast down," yet 
' 'not destroyed." All the violent attacks of his enemies must finally 
contribute to the honour of his triumph, while their flagrant injustice 
gives double lustre to the glorious cause in which he suffers. 



TRAIT XXXVI. 

His humble confidence in producing the seeds of his ministry, 

A pastor mu3t, sooner or later, convert sinners, if he sincerely and 
earnestly calls them to repentance toward God, and faith in our Lord 
Jesus Christ. Nevertheless, though filled with indignation against sin, 
with compassion toward the impenitent, and with gratitude to Christ, he 
should, like St. Paul, in proportion to his strength, wrestle with God by 
prayer, with sinners by exhortation, and with the flesh by abstinence ; 
yet, even then, as much unequal to that apostle as that apostle was une- 
qual to his Master, he may reasonably despair of frequently beholding 
the happy effects of his evangelical labours. But if he cannot adopt 
the following apostolic language, " Thanks be unto God, who always 
causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his 
knowledge by us in every place ;" he will at least be able to say in his 
little sphere, " We are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that 
are saved, and in them that perish ; to the one we are the savour of death 
unto death ; and to the other the savour of life unto life," 2 Cor. ii, 14-16. 
If he has not, like St. Paul, planted new vines, he is engaged with 
Apollos in watering those which are already planted ; he is rooting up 
some withered cumberers of the ground, he is lopping off some unfruitful 
branches, and propping up those tender sprigs which the tempest has 
beaten down. 

He would be the most unhappy of all faithful ministers, had he not 
some in his congregation to whom he might with propriety address him- 
self in the following terms : — " Do we need epistles of commendation 
to you 1 Ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ, minis- 
tered not by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living 
God ; not in tables of stone, but in fleshly tables of the heart," 2 Cor. 
iii, 1-3. " Are not ye my work in the Lord ? If I be not an apostle 
unto others, yet doubtless I am to you ; for the seal of mine apostleship 
are ye in the Lord. For though ye have ten thousand instructers in 
Christ, yet have ye not many fathers ; for in Christ Jesus have I begot- 
ten you through the Gospel," 1 Cor. ix, 2 ; iv, 15. 

When a minister of the Gospel, after labouring for several years in 
the same place, is unacquainted with any of his flock, to whom he might 
modestly hold the preceding language, it is to be feared that he has 
laboured too much like the generality of pastors in the present day ; 
since " the word of God," when delivered with earnestness and without 



THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 73 

adulteration, is usually " quick and powerful, and sharper than any two- 
edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, 
and of the joints and marrow," Heb. iv, 1*2. " He that hath my word, 
let him speak my word faithfully. What is chaff to the wheat ? saith 
the Lord. Is not my word like a fire ; and like a hammer that breaketh 
the rock in pieces ? Behold, I am against them that cause my people 
to err by their lies and by their lightness : therefore they shall not profit 
this people at all, saith the Lord," Jer. xxiii, 28-32. 

Those ministers who are anxious so to preach and so to conduct 
themselves as neither to trouble the peace of the formal, nor to alarm 
the fears of the impenitent, are undoubtedly the persons peculiarly 
alluded to in the following solemn passage of Jeremiah's prophecy : — 
" Mine heart within me is broken because of the prophets ; all my bones 
shake because of the Lord, and because of the words of his holiness. 
For both prophet and priest are profane ; yea, in my house have I found 
their wickedness, saith the Lord. They walk in lies, [either actually 
or doctrinally,] they strengthen also the hands of evil doers, that none 
doth return from his wickedness. From the prophets of Jerusalem is 
profaneness gone forth into all the land. They speak a vision of their 
own heart, and not out of the mouth of the Lord. They say unto them 
that [secretly] despise me, The Lord hath said, Ye shall have peace ; and 
they say unto every one that walketh after the imagination of his own 
heart, No evil shall come upon you. I have not sent these prophets, yet 
they ran : I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied. But if they 
had stood in my counsel, and had caused my people to hear my words, 
then they should have turned them from their evil way, and from the 
evil of their doings," Jer. xxiii, 9-22. 

Behold the reason why nothing can so much afflict a faithful minister 
as not to behold, from time to time, unfeigned conversions effected 
among the people by means of his ministry. The husbandman, after 
having diligently prepared and plentifully sowed his fields, is sensibly 
afflicted when he sees the hope of his harvest swept away at once by 
a furious storm ; but he feels not so lively a sorrow as the charitable 
pastor who, after having liberally scattered around him the seeds of 
wisdom and piety, beholds his parish still overrun with the noxious weeds 
of vanity and vice. If Nabals are still intoxicated ; if Cains are still 
implacable ; if Ananiases are still deceitful, and Sapphiras still prepared 
to favour their deceit ; if Marthas are still cumbered with earthly cares ; 
if Dinahs are still exposing themselves to temptation, even to the detri- 
ment of their honour, and to the loss of that little relish which they once 
discovered for piety ; and if the former still continue to approach God 
with their lips while their hearts are far from him — a good pastor, at the 
sight of these things, is pierced through with many sorrows, and feels, 
in a degree, what Elijah felt, when, overburdened with fLtigue and 
chagrin, " he sat down under a juniper tree, and said, It is enough, 
now, O Lord, take away my life : for I am not better than my fathers," 
1 Kings xix, 4. 

Indifference, in a matter of so great importance, is one of the surest 
marks' by which an unworthy pastor may be discerned. Of what con- 
sequence is it to a worldly minister whether the flock about which he 
takes so little trouble is composed of sheep or goats ? He seeks not so 



74 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 

much to benefit his people, as to discharge the mere exterior duties of 
his office in such a way as may not incur the censure of his superiors 
in the Church, who, possibly, are not a whit less lukewarm than himself. 
And if a tolerable party of his unclean flock do but disguise themselves 
three or four times in a year, for the purpose of making their appear, 
ance at the sacramental table, he is perfectly satisfied with the good 
order of his parish, especially when the most detestable vices, such as 
extortion, theft, adultery, or murder, are not openly practised in it. 
This outward kind of decency, which is so satisfactory to the worldly 
minister, and which is ordinarily effected by the constraining force of the 
civil laws, rather than by the truths of the Gospel, affords the faithful 
pastor but little consolation. He is solicitous to see his people hunger- 
ing and thirsting after righteousness, working out their salvation with 
fear and trembling, and engaging in all the duties of Christianity with 
as much eagerness as the children of the world pursue their shameful 
pleasures or trifling amusements ; and if he has not yet enjoyed this 
satisfaction, he humbles himself before God, and anxiously inquires 
after the reason of so great an unhappiness. He is conscious that if 
his ministry be not productive of good fruit, the sterility of the word 
must flow from one or other of the following causes : either he does 
not publish the Gospel in its full latitude and purity, in a manner suffi- 
ciently animating, or in simplicity and faith. Perhaps he is not careful 
to second his zealous discourses by an exemplary conduct : perhaps he 
is negligent in imploring the blessing of God upon his public and private 
labours ; or probably his hearers may have conceived inveterate preju- 
dices against him, which make them inattentive to his most solemn 
exhortations ; so that, instead of being received among them as an am- 
bassador of Christ, he can apply to himself the proverb formerly cited 
by his rejected Master, " No prophet is accepted in his own country," 
where he is accustomed to be seen without ceremony, and heard without 
curiosity. If the fault appears to be on his own side, he endeavours to 
apply the most speedy and efficacious remedies, redoubling his public 
labours, and renewing his secret supplications with more than ordinary 
fervour of spirit. But if, after repeated trials, he is convinced that his 
want of success chiefly flows from the invincible hatred of his flock to 
the truths of the Gospel, or from the sovereign contempt which his 
parishioners manifest both to his person and labours, he is then justified 
in following the example of his unerring Master, who refused to exercise 
his ministry in those places where prejudice had locked up the hearts 
of the people against the reception of his evangelical precepts. 

When, in such a situation, a pastor is fearful of following the example 
of our Lord, lest he should be left destitute of a maintenance, in how 
deplorable a state must he drag through the wearisome days of a useless 
life ! If e ,r ery sincere Christian is ready to take up his cross, to quit 
friends and possessions, yea, to renounce life itself, on account of the 
Gospel, can we cons der that minister as a man really consecrated to 
the service of Christ, who has not resolution sufficient to give up a 
house, a garden, and a salary, when the welfare of his own soul and the 
interests of the Church require such a sacrifice ? 

When a preacher of the Gospel counts less upon the promises of his 
Master than upon the revenues of his benefice, may we not reasonably 



THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 75 

conclude, that he is walking in the footsteps of Balaam, rather than in 
those of St. Paul ? And is it for such a man to declare the statutes of 
the Lord, or to recite the words of his covenant? Psalm 1, 16. Is he 
not attempting to publish, before he effectually believes, the truths of 
the Gospel ? And has he not a front of brass, when, with the dispositions 
of a Demas, he mounts the pulpit, to celebrate the bounty of that God 
who supplies the wants of " sparrows, who feeds the young ravens that 
call upon him," opening his hand and filling all things living with plen- 
teousness 1 Let such a one consider, that the character of a virtuous 
preceptor, or an honest tradesman, is abundantly more honourable than 
that of a mercenary priest. 

In general, it may be reasonably supposed, that if a pastor faith- 
fully exercise his ministry in any place, to which he has been appointed 
by the providence of God, he will either benefit those among whom he 
is called to labour, or his hardened hearers will, at length, unite to drive 
him from among them, as the inhabitants of Nazareth forced Jesus away 
from their ungrateful city. Or if he should not be forcibly removed 
from his post, as was the case of our Lord in the country of the Gada- 
renes, yet believing it incumbent upon him to retire from such a part, 
he will seek out some other place in his Master's vineyard, that shall 
better repay the pains of cultivation, whatever such a removal may cost 
him in the judgment of the world. And, indeed, such a mode of con- 
duct was positively prescribed by our Lord to his first ministers, in the 
following solemn charge : " Into whatsoever city or town ye shall enter, 
inquire who in it is worthy. And whosoever shall not receive you, nor 
hear your words ; when [slighted and reproached by its unworthy 
inhabitants,] ye [are constrained to] depart out of that house or city, 
shake off the dust of your 'feet," as a testimony against those who prefer 
the maxims of the world before the precepts of the Gospel, Matt. 
x, 11, 14. 

If any pastor refuse to adopt this method of proceeding, after patience 
has had its perfect work ; if he still fear to give up an establishment, 
as the sons-in-law of Lot were afraid of forsaking their possessions in 
Sodom, he then acts in direct opposition to the command of Christ ; he 
obstinately occupies the place of a minister, against whom, very proba- 
bly, less prejudice might, be entertained, and whose ministry, of conse- 
quence, would be more likely to produce some salutary effect ; he loses 
his time in casting pearls before swine ; and instead of converting his 
parishioners, he only aggravates the condemnation due to their ob- 
duracy. 

The faithful pastor, however, is not soon discouraged, though he 
beholds no beneficial consequences of his ministry. His unbounded 
charity suffers, hopes, and labours long, without fainting. The more 
sterile the soil appears, which he is called to cultivate, the more he 
waters it, both with his tears and with the sweat of his brow ; the more 
he implores for it the dew of heaven, and the influences of that Divine 
Sun which spreads light and life through every part of the Church. It 
is not, therefore, (let it be repeated,) till after patience has had its perfect 
work, that a conscientious minister takes the final resolution of quitting 
his post, in order to seek out some other situation, in which his labours 
may be attended with the greater profit. 



76 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. l'AUL. 



TRAIT XXXVII 
His readiness to seal with his blood the truths of the Gospel. 

He who is not yet prepared to die for his Lord, has not yet received 
that "perfect love" which " casteth out fear:" and it is a matter of 
doubt, whether any preacher is worthy to appear in the pulpit, whose 
confidence in the truths of the Gospel is not strong enough to dispose 
him, in certain situations, to seal those truths with his blood. If he 
really shrink from the idea of dying in the cause of Christianity, is it 
for him to publish a Saviour, who is " the resurrection and the life ?" 
And may he not be said to play with his conscience, his auditors, and 
his God, if, while he is the slave of sin and fear, he presents himself as 
a witness of the salvation of that omnipotent Redeemer, who, " through 
death, has destroyed him that had the power of death ;" and who, by 
his resurrection, has " delivered them who, through fear of death, were 
all their life:ime subject to bondage?" Heb. ii, 14, 15. Love, in the 
language of Solomon, " is strong as death :" but the true minister 
glows with that fervent love to Christ and his brethren, which is abun- 
dantly stronger than those fears of death which would prevent him, in 
times of persecution, from the faithful discharge of his ministerial func- 
tions. Such was the love of St. Paul, when he cried out to those who 
would have dissuaded him from the dangerous path of duty : " What 
mean ye to weep, and to break mine heart ? for I am ready not to be 
bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord 
Jesus," Acts xxi, 13. "And now, behold, I go bound in the spirit unto 
Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there : save that 
the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying, that bonds and afflic- 
tions abide me. But none of these things move me, neither count I my 
life dear unto myself, so that I may finish my course with joy, and the 
ministry which I have received of the Lord Jesus," Acts xx, 22-24. 
" For I know that this shall turn to my salvation, through your prayer, 
and the supply of the spirit of Jesus Christ, according to my earnest 
expectation, that Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by 
life or by death. For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. And if 
I be offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy and rejoice 
with you all," Phil, i, 19-21 ; ii, 17. 

Thus "the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep : but he that is 
a hireling, and not the shepherd, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the 
sheep, and fleeth ; and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep," 
John x, 11, 12. Happy is that Church whose pastor is prepared to 
tread in the steps of " the great Shepherd and Bishop of souls !" St. 
Paul would not have been ashamed to acknowledge such a one as his 
companion and fellow labourer in the work of the Lord. 



TRAIT XXXVIII. 

The sweet suspense of his choice between life and death. 

Whatever desire the faithful pastor may have to be with Christ, and 
to rest from his labours, yet he endures with joy his separation from 



THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 77 

the person of his Saviour, through the sacred pleasure he experiences 
in the service of his members. The sweet equilibrium in which his 
desire was suspended between life and death, is thus expressed by the 
Apostle Paul : " We know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle 
were dissolved, we have a building of God, a house not made with hands, 
eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be 
clothed upon with our house which is from heaven : knowing that while 
we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord," 2 Cor. v, 1-6. 
" Yet what I shall choose I wot not. For I am in a strait betwixt two, 
having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ, which is far better : 
nevertheless, to abide in the flesh is more needful for you. And having 
this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all, for 
your furtherance and joy of faith," Phil, i, 22-25. 

It is chiefly when believers have the unconquerable love of St. Paul, 
" that all things work together for their good." Whether they live, or 
whether they die, every occurrence turns out a matter of favour. If 
they live, it is that they may support their companions in tribulation, 
and insure to themselves a greater reward, by maintaining, for a long 
season, the victorious fight of faith. If they die, it is that they may 
rest from their labours, and come to a more perfect enjoyment of their 
Master's presence. " Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord : 
they rest from their labours, and their works do follow them," Rev. xiv, 
13. And in the meantime, blessed are the living who live in the Lord : 
for they are honourably engaged in those important conflicts which will 
daily add to their spiritual strength, and augment the brilliancy of their 
final triumph. 



TRAIT XXXIX. 

TJie constancy of his zeal and diligence to the end of his course. 

Living or dying, the faithful servant of Christ never acts unworthy 
of his character. " Blameless and harmless in the midst of a crooked 
and perverse generation, a child of God without rebuke, he shines," to 
the end of his course, " as a light in the world," Phil, ii, 15. He beholds 
death, whether it be natural or violent, always without fear, and gene- 
rally with pleasure, regarding it as a messenger appointed for his safe 
conduct into that glorious state, where they rejoice together who have 
continued faithful to the end. He is anxious only that his Lord may 
find him occupied in the grand business he was commissioned to per- 
form : and the nearer his hour approaches, the more earnest he is that 
he may finish his ministry with joy. If he be no longer able to exhort 
the brethren in person, he writes to them in the manner of St. Peter : 
" I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these 
things," the doctrines, precepts, threatenings, and promises of the Gos- 
pel, " though ye know them, and be established in the present truth. 
Yea, I think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up 
by putting you in remembrance ; knowing, that shortly I must put off this 
tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath showed me," 2 Pet. i, 
12-14. He desires, at such a season, to address the faithful, and 
especially young ministers, as St. Paul addressed the Corinthians and 



78 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 

Timothy: "My beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always 
abounding in the work of the Lord ; forasmuch as ye know that your 
labour is not in vain in the Lord," 1 Cor. xv, 58. "Thou, Timothy, 
hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, long suffer- 
ing, charity, patience, persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at 
Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra ; what persecutions I endured : but out 
of them all the Lord delivered me. Yea, and all that will live godly in 
Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. But watch thou in all things, 
endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy 
ministry ; for I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my de- 
parture is at hand," 2 Tim. hi, 10-12 ; iv, 5, 6. 

Thus triumphantly St. Paul advanced toward the end of his course. 
And thus the faithful minister, pouring fresh oil into his lamp as the 
night advances, goes forth to meet his approaching God, whom his faith 
already considers as a merciful Judge, and his hope as a munificent 
Rewarder. 



TRAIT XL. 
His triumph over the evils of life, and the terrors of death. 

The living faith that sustains a good pastor, or a believer in Christ, 
amid all the difficulties and afflictions of life, causes him more especially 
to triumph at the approach of death in all its terrific appearances. Ever 
filled with an humble confidence in Him, who is the resurrection and 
the life, he frequently expresses the assurance of his victorious faith, 
at this solemn season, in the manner of St. Paul : " Thanks be unto 
God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ," 2 Cor. ii, 14. 
" Knowing, that He who raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also 
by Jesus, and shall present us with you : therefore we faint not : but 
though our outward man perish, yet the inner man is renewed day by 
day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh out 
for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory," 2 Cor. iv, 14. 
Thus holding up the shield of faith to quench the fiery darts of the 
wicked one, and to receive the piercing arrows of the angel of death, 
he expects his last hour without fear or impatience ; cheerfully leaving 
the time, the place, the manner, and the circumstances of this conclud- 
ing trial, to the disposal of that God whose wisdom, goodness, and power, 
are all combined to insure him the victory. Whether he be called by 
the providence of God, in a chamber or upon a scaffold, to taste the 
bitter cup of which his Master drank so deeply, he prepares himself to 
accompany a suffering Saviour, encouraged with the hope that he shall 
not be tempted above his strength ; and that, if he should suffer and die 
with the King of glory, he shall also rise and reign together with him. 

At length the fatal shaft is thrown, — whether by accident, by disease, 
or by the hand of an executioner, is of little consequence; the true 
Christian, prepared for all events, sees and submits to the order of Pro- 
vidence. He receives the mortal blow, either with humble resignation, or 
with holy joy. In the first case, his soul is sweetly disengaged from its 
earthly tabernacle, while he breathes out the supplicatory language of 
happy Simeon, " Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, for 



THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 79 

mine eyes have seen thy salvation." But in the second case, he leaves the 
world in a state of holy triumph, crying out in the fullest assurance of 
faith, My persuasion takes place of sight, and without the help of vision 
I endure, as seeing him that is invisible ; as effectually sustained, as 
though, contemplating with Stephen an open heaven, I saw the Son of 
man standing at the right hand of God, ready to save and glorify my 
soul. Of these two manners of holy dying, the most enviable appears to 
have been the lot of St. Paul, if we may judge from the anticipated tri- 
umph he describes in several of his epistles, and particularly in the last 
he addressed to Timothy from Rome, where he received the crown of 
martyrdom. " I desire to depart and to be with Christ, for whom I have 
suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may 
know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his 
sufferings, being made conformable unto his death," Phil, i, 13; iii, 8-10. 
" I have fought a good fight, 1 have finished my course, I have kept the 
faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, 
which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give me at that day : to whom 
be glory for ever and ever," 2 Tim. iv, 7, 8, 18. "Who shall separate 
us from the love of Christ ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, 
or the sword ? Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors, 
through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor 
life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor 
things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be 
able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus,' - 
Rom. viii, 35, 39. "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is 
thy victory ? Thanks be to God, who giveth us the victory through our 
Lord Jesus Christ," 1 Cor. xv, 55-57. 

Thus the great apostle went forth to meet his last trial, counting it an 
honour to suffer in the cause of truth, and rejoicing in hope of the glory 
of God. The enemies of Christianity rendered him at last conformable 
to Christ in his death :* but while they severed his head from his body, 
they united his happy spirit more intimately to that exalted Jesus, who 
had once met him in the way, and who now was waiting to receive him 
at the end of his course. Happy are the faithful, who, like this faithful 
apostle, live unto the Lord ! yet happier they, who, like him, are enabled 
to die unto the Lord ! " Their works do follow them, while they rest 
from their labours," and wait in peace the resurrection and the sublime 
rewards of the righteous. 

* Tradition informs us, that St. Paul, in the second journey he made to Rome, 
received the crown of martyrdom under the Emperor Nero, about thirty-five years 
after the crucifixion of our blessed Lord. St. Clement, the contemporary of St, 
Paul, speaks of that apostle in the following terms, in his first epistle to the Co. 
rinthians : " By means of jealousy, Paul has received the prize of perseverance. 
Having been seven times in bonds ; having been evil entreated and stoned ; hav- 
ing preached in the east and in the west, he has obtained the glorious prize of 
his faith. After having instructed all the world in righteousness, coming into 
the west, he has suffered martyrdom under those who command ; and thus quit- 
ting the world, after having shown in it a great example of patience, he has gone 
into the holy place." 



THE PORTRAIT 

OF 

LUKEWARM MINISTERS AND FALSE APOSTLES. 



CHAPTER I. 

The essence of painting consists in a happy mixture of light and 
shade, from the contrast of which an admirable effect is produced, and 
the animated figure made to rise from the canvass. Upon this prin- 
ciple we shall oppose to the Portrait of St. Paul, that of lukewarm 
ministers and false apostles, whose gloomy traits will form a back ground 
peculiarly adapted to set off the character of an evangelical pastor. 

If the primitive Church was disturbed and misled by unfaithful minis- 
ters, it may be reasonably presumed that, in this more degenerate period 
of its existence, the Church of God must be miserably overrun with 
teachers of the same character. There is, however, no small number 
of ministers who form a kind of medium between zealous pastors and 
false apostles. These irresolute evangelists are sincere to a certain 
point. They have some desire after the things of God, but are abun- 
dantly more solicitous for the things of the world : they form good reso- 
lutions m the cause of their acknowledged Master, but are timid and 
unfaithful when called upon actual service. They are sometimes actu- 
ated by a momentary zeal, but generally influenced by servile fear. 
They have no experience of that ardent affection, and that invincible 
courage with which St. Paul was animated. Their wisdom is still car- 
nal, 2 Cor. i, 12; they still confer " with flesh and blood," Gal. i, 16. 
Such was Aaron, who yielded, through an unmanly weakness, to the 
impious solicitations of his people. Such was Jonah, when he refused 
to exercise his ministry at Nineveh. That this prophet was possessed 
of a holy confidence in God, and a desire for the salvation of his fellow 
creatures, we have every reason to believe : but we find, that neither the 
one nor the other was sufficiently powerful to engage him in a service 
which appeared likely to endanger his reputation among men. Such 
were also the apostles before they were endued with power from on high. 
To every pastor of this character, that expression of Christ, which was 
once addressed to the most courageous man among his disciples, may be 
considered as peculiarly applicable : " Thou art an offence unto me, for 
thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men," 
Matt, xvi, 23. 

Lukewarmness, false prudence, and timidity, are the chief characteris- 
tics by which ministers of this class may be distinguished. Perceiving 
the excellence of the Gospel in an obscure point of view, and having 
little experience of its astonishing effects, they cannot possibly discover 
that religious zeal which is indispensably necessary to the character 
they affect to sustain. 



THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 81 

The pious Bishop Massillon gives the following representation of these 
unqualified teachers, and the ill effects of their unfaithfulness. " Man- 
ners are every day becoming more corrupt among us, because the zeal 
of ministers is daily becoming colder ; and because there are found 
among us few apostolical men, who oppose themselves, as a brazen wall, 
to the torrent of vice. For the most part, we behold the wicked alto- 
gether at ease in their sins, for the want of hearing more frequently those 
thundering voices, which, accompanied with the Spirit of God, would 
effectuallv rouse them from their awful slumber. The want of zeal, so 
clearly discernible among pastors, is chiefly owing to that base timidity 
which is not hardy enough to make a resolute stand against common 
prejudice, and which regards the worthless approbation of men, beyond 
their eternal interests. That must needs be a worldly and criminal con- 
sideration, which makes us more anxious for our own glory than for the 
glory of God. That must truly be fleshly wisdom, which can represent 
religious zeal under the false ideas of excess, indiscretion, and temerity : 
a pretext this, which nearly extinguishes every spark of zeal in the 
generality of ministers. This want of courage they honour with the 
specious names of moderation and prudence. Under pretence of not 
carrying their zeal to an excess, they are content to be entirely destitute 
of it. And while they are solicitous to shun the rocks of imprudence and 
precipitation, they run, without fear, upon the sands of indolence and 
cowardice. They desire to become useful to sinners, and, at the same 
time, to be had in estimation by them. They long to manifest such a 
zeal as the world is disposed to applaud. They are anxious so to oppose 
the passions of men, that they may yet secure their praises ; so to con- 
demn the vices they love, that they may still be approved by those they 
condemn. But when we probe a wound to the bottom, we must expect 
to awaken a degree of peevishness in the patient, if we do not extort from 
him some bitter exclamation." 

" Let us not deceive ourselves," continues the same author ; " if this 
apostolical zeal, which once converted the world, is become so rare 
among us, it is because, in the discharge of our sacred functions, we 
seek ourselves, rather than the glory of Christ, and the salvation of souls. 
Glory and infamy were regarded by the apostle with equal indifference, 
while he filled up the duties of his important office. He knew it impos- 
sible to please men, and to save them ; to be the servant of the world, 
and the servant of Christ. Nevertheless, there are many among us who 
are seeking to unite these different services, which the apostle believed 
to be irreconcilable." 

Mons. Roques agrees with the pious bishop in condemning those 
ministers who neglect to copy the example of St. Paul. "The little 
piety that is to be found among ministers," says this excellent writer, 
" is the most effectual obstacle to the progress of the Gospel. By piety, 
I mean that sincere and ardent love for religion, which deeply interests 
a man in all its concerns, as well as in every thing that respects the glory 
of God, and of our Lord Jesus Christ. If this Divine love were found 
reigning in the hearts of those who proclaim Christ ; if every preacher 
of the Gospel were enabled to say, with the sincerity of Peter, " Lord ! 
thou knowest all things ; thou knowest that I love thee," John xxi, 15 ; 
thou knowest that I have no ambition but for thy glory, and that my high- 

Vol. III. 6 



S2 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL, 

est pleasure consists in beholding the increase of thy kingdom — we should 
then perceive the sword of God in their hands like a two-edged sword, 
cutting asunder the very deepest roots of sin. But as the Gospel is 
preached more through contention, through vain glory, and through the 
desire of getting a livelihood by serving at the altar, than through an 
ardent zeal to advance the glory of God ; hence it is that ministers fall 
into several errors, giving evident proofs of that indolence and unconcern, 
which afford matter of scandal rather than of edification." — Evangelical 
Pastor. 

Mons. Ostervald speaks the same language in his Third Source of the 
Corruption which reigns among Christians. "A great part of our 
ecclesiastics," says this writer, " may be justly charged with the corrup- 
tion of the people, since there are among them many who oppose the 
re-establishment of a holy discipline ; while others render the exercise 
of it totally useless, by an ill-timed softness, and a shameful indulgence." 

" I except those," continues this venerable pastor, " who ought to be 
excepted. But on a general view, in what do ecclesiastics differ from 
other men ] Do they distinguish themselves by an exemplary life 1 
Their exterior, indeed, is somewhat different : they lead a more retired 
life ; they, in some degree, save appearances ; though all do not go 
thus far. But beyond this, are they not equally attached to the world, 
as much engaged with earthly things, as wholly taken up with secular 
views, as constantly actuated by interest and passion, as the generality 
of mankind ?" 

Christian prudence required that these portraits of lukewarm ministers 
should be exhibited as the designs of pastors who have been eminent for 
their piety, their rank, and experience, and who, on that account, had a 
peculiar right to declare those truths, which might give greater offenc© 
were they to come from less respectable persons. 



CHAPTER II. 

Hie 'portrait of false apostles. 

Between the state of careless ministers, and that of false apostlesv 
there is not, in reality, so vast a difference as many are apt to imagine. 
An unworthy labourer in the spiritual vineyard gives speedy proofs of 
a lukewarm temper in the service of his Lord ; shortly after his heart 
becomes entirely cold with respect to piety ; and what is still more 
lamentable, he frequently manifests as warm a zeal for error and vice as 
the true minister can possibly discover in the cause of truth and virtue. 
Such is the state of those who may properly be termed preachers of the 
third class, and who are spoken of by St. Paul under the title of " false 
apostles," 2 Cor. xi, 13. 

These unworthy ministers are known by their works. Like many of 
St. Paul's unfaithful fellow labourers, 2 Tim. i, 15, they prefer the repose 
and pleasure of the* world before the service and reproach of Christ. 
Like Judas and Simon the sorcerer, they love the honours and revenues 
of ministers, while they abhor the crosses and labours of the ministry. 
Like Hophni and Phinehas, they are sons of Belial, and know not th8 



THE PORTKAIT OF ST. PAUL. 83 

Lord. Their sin is very great before the Lord. For, on their account, 
many "abhor the offering of the Lord," 1 Sam. ii, 12, 17. Like the 
wicked servant, described by their reputed Master, instead of providing 
" meat for Ins household in due season, they begin to smite," or to per- 
secute those of their fellow servants who are intent upon discharging 
their several duties ; while they pass away their time in mirth and festi- 
vity with the riotous and the drunken, Matt, xxiv, 48, 49. They may 
justly be compared to lamps extinguished in the temple of God. " Instead 
of shining there to his praise," says Bishop Massillon, " they emit black 
clouds of smoke which obscure every object about them, and become a 
savour of death to those who perish. They are pillars of the sanctuary, 
which, being overthrown and scattered in public places, become stones of 
stumbling to every heedless passenger. They are the sfilt of the earth, 
and were appointed to preserve souls from corruption But having lost 
all their savour, they begin to corrupt what they were intended to pre- 
serve." They are physicians who carry to their patients infection 
instead of health. From the spiritually diseased they withhold the heal- 
ing word of God, Psalm cvii, 20, while they distribute among them the 
dangerous poison of a lax morality, setting before them an example of 
bitter zeal against the truth, puffing them up with that wisdom which is 
"earthly, sensual, and devilish," James hi, 14, 15. 

" A false pastor," says Mons. Roques, or a false apostle, " is a minister 
whose heart is not right before God, and who lives not in such a manner 
as to edify his flock. He knows the holy course of life to which Chris- 
tians in general, and ministers in particular, are called ; but in spite of 
all his knowledge and his apparent zeal, he fears not to trample under 
foot those very maxims of the Gospel which he has publicly established 
and preached with the utmost energy. Every day he performs acts of 
the most detestable hypocrisy. Every time he preaches and censures, 
he bears open testimony against his own conduct. But he publicly 
accuses, without ever intending to correct himself. He is a constant 
declaimer against vice in the pulpit ; but a peculiar protector of it while 
he is engaged in the common concerns of life. While he exhorts his 
hearers to repentance, he either imagines himself above those laws 
which he proposes to others on the part of God ; or he believes himself 
under no other necessity of holding them forth, except his own engage- 
ments to such a work, and the salary he receives for the performance 
of it." 

Mons. Ostervald, in a work already referred to, makes mention of 
these pastors in the following terms : " How many do we see who regard 
their holy vocation in no other light than the means of procuring for 
them a comfortable maintenance. Are there not many who bring a 
scandal upon their profession by the licentiousness of their manners ? 
Do we not see them hasty and outrageous 1 Do we not observe in them 
an extreme attachment to their own interests ? Are they careful to rule 
their families well ? Has it not been a subject of complaint, that they 
are puffed up with pride, and are implacable in their hatred ? I say 
nothing of many other vices and defects which are equally scandalous 
in the clergy, such as vain and loose conversation, an attachment to 
diversion and pleasure, a worldly disposition, slothfulness, craft, injustice, 
and slander." 



84 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 

" It is impossible to find a person," adds Mons. Ostervald, " sur- 
rounded with more powerful motives to piety, than a man whose ordinary 
occupation is to meditate upon religious things, to discourse of them 
among others, to reprove vice and hypocrisy, to perform Divine service, 
to administer the holy sacraments, to visit the afflicted and the dying ; 
and who must one day render to God an account of the souls com- 
mitted to his charge. I know not whether it be possible to find any 
stronger marks of impiety and hypocrisy than those which may be dis- 
covered in the character of a person, who, in the midst of all these 
favourable circumstances, is, nevertheless, an unrighteous man. Such 
a one may be said to divert himself with the most sacred things of reli- 
gion, and to spend the whole of his life in performing the part of an 
impostor. And this he does to his cost ; since there is no profession in 
the world that will more effectually secure a sentence of condemnation 
than that of the priesthood, when exercised in so unfaithful a manner." 

But it is chiefly in the Holy Scriptures where these unworthy pastors 
are portrayed in so strong a point of view, that every attentive inquirer 
may readily discern their distinguishing features. " Son of man," saith 
the Lord, " prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, and say unto them : 
Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them that are 
fed ; but ye feed not the flock. The diseased have ye not strengthened, 
neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye 
brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that 
which was lost : but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them. 
Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I am against the shepherds ; 
and I will require my flock at their hand," Ezek. xxxiv, 2, 10. " As 
Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth. 
Men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith," 2 Tim. in, 8. 
" Wo unto them ; for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran 
greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gain- 
saying of Korah. Clouds they are without water, carried about of 
winds ; trees without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots ; raging 
waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame ; wandering stars, to 
whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever," Jude 11, 12. 

St. John has not only drawn the character, but has likewise given us 
the name of a certain tyrannical teacher, who began to disturb the peace of 
the primitive church : " I wrote unto the Church," saith he to Gaius, con- 
cerning the reception of stranger evangelists ; but Diotrephes, who loveth 
to have the pre-eminence among them, receiveth us not. If I come, I 
will remember his deeds which he doeth, prating against us with mali- 
cious words. And not content therewith, neither doth he himself receive 
the brethren, and forbiddeth them that would, and casteth them out of 
the Church," 3 John. Behold a striking description of proud and per- 
secuting ecclesiastics ! 

But, perhaps, the most complete description of these is given by our 
Lord himself, where he treats of worthless pastors in general, under the 
particular names of scribes and Pharisees. Here a Divine and impartial 
hand delineates the jealousy, the pride, the feigned morality, the malice, 
and the persecuting spirit which characterize this class of men in every 
age of the world. " Do not ye," saith Christ, " after their works, for 
they say, and do not. All their works they do to be seen of men. They 



TUB PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 85 

love the chief seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the markets. 
Wo unto you, hypocrites ! For ye shut up the kingdom of heaven 
against men : ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that 
are entering to go in. Ye neglect judgment, mercy, and faith. Ye 
outwardly appear righteous unto men, But within ye are fall of hypocrisy 
and iniquity. Because ye garnish the sepulchres of the righteous," ye 
vainly imagine yourselves free from a persecuting spirit, while in other 
matters, as " the children of them which killed the prophets," ye are 
labouring to " fill up the measure of your fathers. Behold, I send unto 
you prophets" and zealous preachers of the word, " and some of them 
ye shall kill, and some of them ye shall persecute from city to city," 
Matt, xxiii, 3, 34. 

We need take but a cursory view of the New Testament, for suffi- 
cient proof that these worldly-minded scribes and these furious bigots 
above represented, were the very persons who pursued the first evangel- 
ists with such deadly rancour. Nay, had it not beer* for Annas and 
Caiaphas, Herod and Pilate would silently have permitted the preaching 
of Jesus himself. These, who were the chief men of the state, after 
refusing to embrace the word of God, on their own part, would most 
probably have contented themselves with denying its truths, and ridi- 
culing its followers. But they would never have passed a sentence of 
death upon persons of so admirable a character as Christ and his fore- 
runner. 

The peculiar opposers of Jesus and his disciples were powerfully 
influenced by jealous pride ; and with the same malignant disposition 
every false apostle in the Christian Church is deeply infected. The pre- 
late, whose pen we have already borrowed, gives the following lively 
description of this unhappy temper : "This despicable jealousy not only 
dishonours zeal, but supposes it extinguished in the heart. It is an 
infamous disposition which afflicts itself even for the conversion of sin- 
ners, and for the progress of the Gospel, when it is through the ministry 
of others that God is pleased to work these miracles. The glory of 
God seldom interests us so much as when our own glory appears to be 
mingled with his. We endure, with some kind of regret, that God 
should be glorified : and I will dare to add, that some of us could 
behold our brethren perishing, with pleasure, rather than see them res- 
cued from death by other labours, and other talents than our own. St. 
Paul rejoiced to see the Gospel spread abroad, though it were by the 
ministry of those who sought to disgrace him among the faithful ; and 
Moses desired that all his brethren might receive the gift of prophecy. 
But we are anxious to stand alone, and to share with no person the 
glory and success of the holy ministry. Every thing that eclipses our 
own brightness, or shines too near us, becomes insupportable, and we 
appear to regard the gifts of God in others, merely as a shame and 
reproach to ourselves." Observe here the true source of those specious 
pretexts, which are professedly drawn from the order, the customs, and 
even from the prejudices of the world. Pretexts under which we dare 
oppose the zeal of our brethren, to withstand the word of God in its 
course, and to render the cross of the ministry more burthensome to 
those who carry it farther than we are disposed to do. One distinguish- 
ing mark of these turbulent evangelists, is that of being thorns in the 



86 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 

sides of true ministers, whom they never fail to represent as deceivers 
or novices, causing the truest piety to wear the semblance of enthusiasm 
and folly. " They speak evil of the things they understand not," 2 Pet. 
ii, 12; and by the most malicious discourses, which have always an 
appearance of zeal for religion and order, they are gradually rousing 
anew that spirit of persecution, by which the name of Christ has been 
so universally disgraced in the world. 

In the earliest age of the Christian Church, these false apostles, swell- 
ing with envy at the success of more faithful ministers, made use of every 
effort to render them contemptible, by giving false representations of their 
holy zeal, and their exemplary actions. Thus they accused St. Paul of 
walking " according to the flesh ;" and asserted, that though " his letters 
were weighty and powerful," yet f ■ his bodily presence was weak, and his 
speech contemptible," 2 Cor. x, 2, 10. Nay, so anxious were they in 
seeking occasions for offence in the conduct of this apostle, that he 
believed himself obliged in the end publicly to expose them. " These 
are false apostles," says he, " deceitful workers, transforming themselves 
into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel, for Satan himself is trans- 
formed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his 
ministers also be transformed, as the ministers of righteousness ; whose 
end shall be according to their works," 2 Cor. xi, 13-15. As our Lord 
foresaw that these strenuous opposers of real religion would bring his 
Church to the very brink of ruin, he exhorted his disciples continually 
to stand upon their guard against them, Matt, vii, 15. And the apos- 
tles, after steadily following their Master's important advice, were diligen 
in transmitting it to the latest of their followers, Acts xx, 28, 30 ; 2 
Pet. ii, 1. 

One necessary remark shall conclude this chapter. In the Portrait 
of St. Paul we have seen that of an evangelical pastor. In the preceding 
chapter we have marked the character of a careless minister ; and in 
this we behold the faithful representation of a false apostle. Let us 
remember, that one of these three portraits must agree, more or less, 
with every preacher of the Gospel. I say more or less, because the 
various traits here marked out may be varied to an almost inconceivable 
degree. Moreover, so inconstant is man, that a minister, who to-day is 
possessed of zeal sufficient to rank him with preachers of the first class, 
may, to-morrow, by an unhappy remissness, sink into the second, as 
once did John, whose surname was Mark ; or even into the third, as 
Hymeneus and Philetus, Diotrephes and Demas. On the contrary, a 
man, who now discovers many of those traits by which Saul the Pharisee 
was once distinguished, may, ere long, become an humble imitator of 
the zeal and charity of Paul the apostle. 



CHAPTER III. 

An answer to the first objection which may be made against the Portrait of 

St. Paul. 

Objections are the ordinary weapons with which error makes war 
upon truth, and these are sometimes so powerful, that, till they are 
effectually repelled, we see truth deprived of its rights. The first that 



THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 87 

will probably be advanced against the Portrait of St. Paul, is this : " The 
model placed before us is too exalted for those who are not endued with 
the miraculous gifts of St. Paul." 

To this, and every other objection, we shall offer a variety of replies, 
in as concise a manner as possible. To the present objection a sufficient 
answer has been already returned by a truly respectable author ; " This 
excuse," says Mons. Roques, " might have some weight, if, in proposing 
the example of Christ to persons who are honoured with the holy minis- 
try, we insisted upon their keeping pace with the Saviour of mankind. 
But this excuse is altogether frivolous, when nothing more is required of 
ministers than continually to place Christ as a model before their eyes, 
and to imitate him with all the exactness of which they are capable." 
" This excuse," continues he, " is still more unreasonable, when applied 
to prophets and apostles, who were men of like passions with ourselves ; 
and who, of consequence, may be placed before us as models, whose 
perfections are attainable by means of the very same succours which 
supported them, and which are never refused to those who have sincere 
and apostolical intentions." [Evangelical Pastor.) 

To the answer of this pious divine we shall subjoin a few observations. 

1. In the Portrait of St. Paul there is found no large description of 
miraculous gifts, but a faithful representation of those Christian virtues, 
which are found in every believer, according to his vocation, and without 
which it is impossible for us to fill up our several duties — such as humi- 
lity, faith, charity, zeal, and assiduity. 

2. The morality which was practised by St. Paul was no other than 
the morality of the Gospel, which is the same in every age, and for 
every condition : whence it foHows, that the moral character of this 
apostle belongs not only to all true pastors, but even to every sincere 
believer. If St. Paul was truly humble, charitable, and pious, his humi- 
lity, his charity, and his piety, are as essential to the religion of every 
Christian, as three angles are essential to the nature of every triangle. 
It is granted, that the piety of this apostle was greater than that of a 
thousand other ministers, just as one triangle may be greater than that 
of a thousand others. But as the angles of the most diminutive triangle 
are of the same quality with those which compose a triangle of uncom- 
mon magnitude, so the moral character of St. Paul is, with regard to 
essentials, the moral character of every true Christian. 

3. This apostle informs us, that he was obliged to " keep his body in 
subjection, lest after having preached to others he himself should become 
a castaway," 1 Cor. ix, 27. This single acknowledgment sufficiently 
proves that he was exposed to all those dangers with which Christians 
are generally beset, and that he saw no way of escaping them, but by 
the use of those very precautions which the weakest believer is instructed 
to take". Now, if St. Paul was so fearful of falling away ; if St. Peter 
was really seen to stumble and fall ; and if Judas, an elected apostle, 
irremediably plunged himself into the depths of perdition ; it is but rea- 
sonable to suppose that, by a faithful improvement of our privileges, we 
may attain to a good degree of that exalted piety, from which one apostle 
fell for a season, and another for ever. 

4. In the whole Portrait of St. Paul there is not a stronger trait than 
the eighteenth, which describes the ardour of his love for the Jews, who 



88 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 

pursued him even to death : a love that made him willing to be accursed 
in dying for them, as his gracious Master had been in dying for the world. 
Now this charity is so far from being an attainment too exalted for true 
ministers, that it is indiscriminately required of every professing Chris- 
tian. " Hereby," sailh St. John, " perceive we the love of God, because 
he laid down his life for us : and we ought to lay down our lives for the 
brethren," 1 John iii, 16. And our Lord himself hath said, " By this 
shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to 
another," John xiii, 35. It is by a new commandment to this effect that 
the morality of the Gospel is peculiarly distinguished from that of the 
law. And shall we impiously attempt to enervate evangelical morality ? 
Let us rather declare, upon all occasions, that " he who loveth not know- 
eth not God," 1 John iv, 8. Let us cry out with the apostle, " If any 
man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be anathema maranatha." 
And if a man love not his brethren, he loves not the Lord Jesus ; for " he 
that loveth not his brother, whom he hath seen, how can he love God, 
whom he hath not seen ?" 1 Cor. xvi, 22. 

On the other hand, when we love our brethren " with a pure heart 
fervently," 1 Pet. i, 22, when, disposed to universal benevolence, we can 
look upon our very enemies with sentiments of pity and affection, we 
are then assuredly possessed of that Christian charity, which forms the 
most brilliant trait in the moral character of St. Paul. 

5. St. Paul was for three years the resident pastor of a single Church. 
The city of Ephesus was his parish. And while he resided there, he 
gave an example, which every minister, by the most solemn engage- 
ments, is bound to follow, whether he be commissioned to labour in a 
city or a village. During two other years of his life this apostle was 
confined within narrower limits than any pastor of a parish. Shut up 
at Rome in a house that served him for a prison, and constantly guarded 
by a soldier, he was unable to extend the sphere of his labours. Yet, 
even in these circumstances, he continued in the diligent exercise of the 
holy ministry, " preaching the kingdom of God to all them that came in 
unto him, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus 
Christ," Acts xxviii, 30. 

Surely nothing can appear more perfectly reasonable, than that every 
pastor should discover as much zeal in his particular parish, as St. Paul 
was accustomed to manifest in the Roman empire when he was at liberty, 
and in his own apartment when loaded v/ith chains. 

6. If the ardent charity and the incessant labours of St. Paul were 
happily imitated by Timothy, why may they not be copied by every 
pastor in the present day ? That youthful minister was anxious to tread 
in the steps of this apostle, and they, who are otherwise minded, assuredly 
fall under those apostolical censures, which are thus indirectly expressed 
in his Epistle to the Philippians : " I trust to send Timotheus shortly unto 
you, for I have no man like-minded, who will naturally care for your 
state. For all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ's. 
But ye know the proof of him, that as a son with the father, he hath 
served with me in the Gospel," Phil, ii, 19-22. 

7. The destruction of the eastern Churches commenced in the falling 
away of their pastors, who gradually abated in the fervours of that holy 
zeal, with which they had begun to labour in the vineyard of their Lord. 



THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 89 

Of such unfaithful teachers Christ affectingly complained in the earliest 
period of his Church, and accompanied his complaints with the most 
terrible menaces. " Write unto the angel of the Church of Ephesus," 
said he to St. John, " I know thy former works, and thy labour, and thy 
patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil. And thou 
hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not ; and hast found 
them liars, &c. Nevertheless, I have somewhat against thee, because 
thou hast left thy first love. Remember, therefore, from whence thou 
art fallen, and repent, and do the first works : or else I will come unto 
thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except 
thou repent," Rev. ii, 2-5. 

The warning was unattended to, and, at length, the threatened blow 
was struck. Thus fell the Church of Ephesus, and thus every Church 
upon earth is fallen, making way for that " mystery of iniquity," and that 
general apostasy, which have been so long foretold. So true is it, that 
apostolical charity, that charity which was first lighted up on the day of 
pentecost, is still absolutely necessary to every pastor, to every Church, 
and, of consequence, to every believer. 

From the combined force of these seven argumentative observations, 
we have a right to conclude, that the virtues of St. Paul are far from 
being inimitable, and that the first objection against his portrait is void 
of solidity. 



CHAPTER IV. 
A second objection argued against. 

They who follow the example of Diotrephes rather than that of St. 
Paul, add to the preceding another objection, to discredit, if possible, the 
imitators of this great apostle. " Do you pretend," say they, " to be the 
successors of St. Paul, and the other apostles, whom you presumptuously 
cite as your models V 

To such objectors the following reflections will serve as a sufficient 
reply :— 

1. We have heard St. Paul, in the character of a believer, proposing 
himself as an example to all believers ; and, as a minister of the Gospel, 
exhorting every pastor to tread in his steps, 1 Cor. xi, 1 ; Phil, iii, 17. 

2. John the Baptist preached repentance. The apostles proclaimed 
remission of sins in the name of Jesus Christ, " who was delivered for 
our offences, and was raised again for our justification," Rom. iv, 25 ; 
and every true minister still continues to insist upon these important doc- 
trines. Now, as he who takes the place of a person deceased, is 
accounted the successor of such person ; so these faithful pastors should 
be regarded as teachers appointed to succeed both the forerunner and 
apostles of Christ. It must be allowed that the apostles, as elders in the 
family of our Lord, were in possession of privileges which we are not 
permitted to enjoy. But if the Gospel is unchangeable, and if the king. 
domofGod still remains under its ancient form of government, the 
priesthood must, for the most part, of necessity continue the same. 

3. There was a time in which the Jewish priests had lost the Urim 
and Thummim with which Aaron and his sons were at first invested. 



90 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 

There was a time in which God no longer manifested himself to his 
own appointed pries' s, as he had been accustomed to do. But as, not- 
withstanding the loss of that glory which formerly rested upon the 
Jewish Church, every pious priest, such as Zacharias, was a true suc- 
cessor of Aaron ; so, during the eclipse of that glory which once illumi- 
nated the Christian Church, every pious minister may justly be accounted 
a true successor of St. Paul. 

4. The word apostle signifies one wJw is sent, and answers to the term 
angel or messenger. " Our brethren," says St. Paul, who accompany 
Titus, " are the messengers," or apostles, " of the Churches," 2 Cor. 
viii, 23. Every minister, therefore, who carries with sincerity the 
messages of his Lord, may, with propriety, be ranked among his angels 
or messengers. Nor do such immediately lose their title when they 
neglect to perform the duties of their office. They may, like Judas, go 
under the name of apostles even to their death, though utterly unworthy 
of such an honourable appellation. Thus, after the pastors of Ephesus and 
Laodicea had outlived the transient fervours of their charity and zeal, 
they were still addressed as the angels of their several Churches. And 
thus St. Paul gave the title of apostles to the worldly ministers of his 
time. In quality of ministers they were apostles ; but in quality of 
worldly ministers they were false apostles. 

5. As the name of Cesar is ordinarily applied to the twelve first 
Roman emperors, so the name of apostle is ordinarily applied to the 
twelve first ministers of the Gospel who had been permitted to converse 
with their Lord, even after his resurrection, and to St. Paul, who was 
favoured with a glorious manifestation of his exalted Saviour. In this 
confined sense it is acknowledged that the name of apostle belongs, in 
an especial manner, to those who were sent forth by Christ after having 
received their consecration and commission immediately from himself. 
But as the name of Cesar, in a more general sense, may be given to all 
the emperors of Rome, so the name of apostle may be applied to every 
minister of the everlasting Gospel. Thus Barnabas, Andronicus, and 
Junia, who were neither of the number of the twelve, nor yet of the 
seventy, were denominated apostles as well as St. Paul, Acts xiv, 14 ; 
Rom. xvi, 7. 

6. It is the invariable opinion of slothful Christians that the zeal of 
ministers, and the piety of believers in the present day, must necessarily 
fall far below what they were in the apostles' time : as though the pro- 
mises of Christ were unhappily limited to the primitive Church. This 
error has been frequently refuted in vain by a variety of Christian 
writers, since nothing can be more conformable to that spirit of incredu- 
lity which reigns among us, than to renounce, at once, the most important 
promises of the New Testament. Had the same promises been made 
respecting temporal honours and profits, we should see a different mode 
of conduct adopted ; " For the children of this world are, in their gene- 
ration, wiser than the children of light," Luke xvi, 8. 

Mons. Roques bears the following testimony to the truth contended 
for in this place. " The ministers of the Gospel esteem themselves, and 
with reason, the successors of the apostles. Their employment is essen- 
tially the same ; though the apostles were honoured with many glorious 
prerogatives, as being the first to lay the foundation of the Church." 



the portrait of st. paul. 91 

" The minister of Christ," says the same writer, " cannot be said 
vainly to natter himself when he counts upon the gracious assistance of 
his Master. He takes the promise of that Master for the solid founda- 
tion of his hope. « 1 am with you alway,' said Christ to his apostles, 
and, in their persons, to all those who should succeed them in the minis- 
try, « even unto the end of the world,' " Matt, xxviii, 20. 

"It was this Divine promise," continues he, " a promise more steadfast 
than earth or heaven, that filled the apostles with such an ardent zeal, as 
enabled them to rejoice evermore ; placing them above the fury of 
tyrants, and beyond the reach of fear ; assisting them to endure excessive 
fatigue and toilsome journeys, the inclemency of the seasons, and the 
resistance of obdurate hearts." Impressed with a just sense of this 
important promise, the venerable writer concludes with this fervent 
prayer : " Holy Jesus ! who hast promised to continue for ever with 
thine apostles, and to give them that wisdom which no man shall ever be 
able to resist, give me to experience a participation of these signal 
favours, that, animated by the same spirit with which thy first disciples 
were inspired, I may lead some soul a happy captive to the obedience of 
thy word." These beautiful quotations will make their own apology for 
appearing in this place. 

7. If any are disposed to condemn Monsieur Roques as an enthusiast 
in this point, they consider not how many great and honourable names 
they disgrace by such a precipitate judgment; since all those pious 
fathers who are looked upon as the reformers of corrupted doctrines 
and degenerate manners, were unanimously of the same opinion. 

From the preceding reflections it seems but reasonable to conclude, 
that all the true ministers of Christ in every nation are to be considered 
as the true successors of the apostles, and particularly of St. Paul, who, 
by way of eminence, is entitled the apostle of the Gentiles, and who, on 
that account, may, with the greater propriety, be proposed to them as 
a model. 



CHAPTER V. 
A third objection replied to. 

They who will allow neither believers nor pastors to become imitators 
of St. Paul, very rarely forget to propose a third objection against such 
imitation. " If you pretend," say they, " to be the apostles' successors, 
then prove your mission by the performance of miracles equal to theirs." 

To this objection we reply : — 

1. That no mention is made of the miracles of Andronicus, Juniu, 
and Barnabas, who were real apostles ; nor any miracles attributed to 
Titus or Timothy, though they were undoubted successors of the apos- 
tles. Farther : it is expressly said that John the Baptist, though he was 
greater than the prophets, did no miracle, John x, 41. On the other 
hand, some miraculous gifts were common in the Church of Corinth, 
even among those who were neither apostles nor evangelists ; and these 
gifts were so far from being essential to apostolic zeal, that many unwor. 
thy brethren, and many false apostles, as well as the traitor Judas, were 



92 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 

endued with them. This we are taught, in the most express terms, by 
our Lord himself, Matt, vii, 22. 

2. If any of those pastors who make a profession of following St. 
Paul, are observed to publish another Gospel, or to depart from the order 
established by the apostles, the world has then reason to require miracles 
at their hands as a demonstration that their doctrines are Divine, and that 
their recent customs are preferable to those which were formerly adopted 
in the Church of Christ. But if they simply proclaim that glorious 
Gospel which has been already confirmed by a thousand miracles, and 
are observed to adopt no other method than that of the apostles; it is 
absurd, in the highest degree, to insist upon miracles as the only sufficient 
evidences of their mission. From worldly pastors such attestations of 
their sacred commission might, with propriety, be required. These are 
the persons who turn aside from the beaten track of Christ and his dis- 
ciples, both with respect to doctrine and discipline ; and these should be 
required by the Church to give incontestable proofs that their novel cus- 
toms are better than those of St. Paul and the ancient evangelists. 

3. No sufficient reason can be given why the humble imitators of St. 
Paul should be required to evidence their spiritual mission by extraordi- 
nary actions. On the one hand, they do but simply declare those reli- 
gious truths of which they have had the most convincing experience : 
and on the other, they earnestly solicit the wicked to become partakers 
of the same invaluable blessings with themselves. Now the certainty of 
such declaration, and the sincerity of such invitation, may be solidly 
established upon two kinds of proofs ; the first upon those proofs which 
support the Gospel in general, and the second upon the holy conduct of 
those who bear this testimony, and repeat these invitations, by which they 
demonstrate the efficacy of their doctrine, and indisputably prove that 
true Christians are dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God, Rom. vi, 11. 
That pastor who is unable to produce the former proofs, cannot possibly 
be regarded as a true successor of the great apostle ; and he whose 
uniform conduct is insufficient to supply the latter, is no other than a 
false apostle. 

4. External miracles, which effect no change in the heart, nor rescue 
the soul from a state of spiritual blindness and death ; miracles which 
serve only to repair the organs of a body that must shortly be consigned 
to the grave ; miracles which tend merely to modify matter, such as 
causing green trees to wither, withered trees to spring, and waters to 
gush out of the flinty rock : miracles of this nature are far less im- 
portant than those which cause the thorns of vice to wither, the seeds of 
grace to spring, and streams of sacred consolation to flow through those 
very hearts which were formerly barren as a desert, and hard as the rock 
that Moses smote. 

5. " If you wish for miracles," says a Christian writer, w if you are 
anxious to experience them in yourselves ; if, in the secret of your 
heart, you would become witnesses of his almighty power by whom 
that heart was formed, then ask of him that sublime virtue [that charity] 
from which all your inclinations and habits detain you at so vast a dis- 
tance that you are in no situation to form any just idea of it, nor even to 
conceive the possibility of its existence." {Professor Crousaz's Sermon 
upon 1 Cor. xiii, 13.) 



THE TORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 93 

6. That Divine charity, and those sacred consolations, which were as 
" a well of water springing up into everlasting life" in the hearts of 
Christ's first disciples, may be made to abound even in ours, since the 
source of these inestimable graces can never be exhausted, Heb. xiii, 8, 
and the faithful, who experience in themselves this gracious miracle, 
stand in need of no other prodigy to establish them in the faith of the 
Gospel. 

7. The most important miracles were those which were wrought by 
the apostles when, as fellow workers together with God, they opened the 
eyes of sinners, turning them " from darkness to light, and from the 
power of Satan unto God," Acts xxvi, 18. True miracles of mercy 
these, and memorable conversions, which the word of God, in the mouths 
of his ministers, is continually operating in every age ! 

8. The charity which is discovered by a faithful pastor who humbly 
co-operates with God in the conversion of his inveterate enemies, should 
be regarded by the world as the truest test of his apostleship. " Whether 
there be prophecies, they shall fail ; whether there be tongues, they shall 
cease ; but charity never faileth. And though I have all faith, so that I 
could remove mountains," and perform the most unheard-of prodigies, 
" if I have not charity, I am nothing," 1 Cor. xiii. 

The preceding replies are abundantly sufficient to demonstrate the 
weakness of their third objection, who are the professed enemies of 
anostolic zeal. 



CHAPTER VI. 
A fourth objection refuted. 

The objection here proposed has been abundantly more prejudicial t« 
the cause of piety, than any of the preceding. " You suppose," say 
formal professors, " that every pastor is called to labour for the salvation 
of souls, in the present day, with all that zeal which animated St. Paul in 
primitive times. But their circumstances differ in a very material way. 
The apostles were commissioned to preach the Gospel, either to obsti- 
nate Jews or idolatrous heathens : whereas our pastors are called to 
exercise their ministry among such as have received the truth from their 
earliest infancy. Is it not then contrary to common sense, that the same 
laborious efforts should be thought necessary for the instruction of Chris- 
tians, which St. Paul was formerly constrained to make use of for the 
conversion of idolaters ?" 

As this specious objection has been more frequently repeated than 
properly refuted, it becomes necessary, in this place, to expose all its 
weakness, and to demonstrate that the difference between sinners who 
are baptized, and those with whom St. Paul had to do, is by no means 
in favour of indolent pastors. 

1. There are found swarms of infidels and idolaters in every Chris- 
tian country upon earth. We need not look beyond Protestant Churches 
to discover multitudes of impious Christians, who not only despise the 
Gospel in secret, but who even dare to make it the subject of public 
ridicule : men, who "have set up their idols in their hearts," Ezek. xiv, % 



94 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PATH. 

and who perfectly answer the apostle's description of degenerate pro- 
fessors, 2 Tim. iii, 2-5. 

2. St. Paul himself sufficiently answers this very objection, as fol- 
lows : — "In Christ Jesus, neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor 
uncircumcision, but a new creature : and as many as walk according to 
this rule, peace be on them," Gal. vi, 15, 16. If there are any who 
make a profession of receiving the Christian faith, and who follow not 
this evangelical rule, the apostle thus addresses them with a holy 
warmth : " Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith ; prove you. 
own selves ; know ye not your own selves how that Jesus Christ is in 
you, except ye be reprobates ?" 2 Cor. xiii, 5. " Be not deceived : 
neither covetous persons, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, 
shall inherit the kingdom of God," 1 Cor. vi, 9, 10. 

3. Observe how the same objection is combated again in another of 
St. Paul's epistles. " Behold, thou art called a Christian, and makest 
thy boast of God, and knowest his will, being instructed out of the two- 
fold law of Moses and of Christ. Thou, that makest thy boast of this 
law ; if thou, through breaking the law, dishonourest God, the name of 
God is then blasphemed among the Gentiles through thee. Therefore, 
thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art, that judgest" the 
heathen, as sinners more hopeless than thyself: "for wherein thou 
judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest 
the same things. And thinkeat thou, O man," that thy privileges unim- 
proved will assist thee to " escape the judgment of God ? Or despisest 
thou the riches of his goodness ; not knowing that the goodness of God 
leadeth thee to repentance ?" Beware lest, " after the hardness of thine 
impenitent heart, thou treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of 
wrath," Rom. ii, 1-24. 

If every Scriptural threatening is denounced against those who are 
without that holiness which the Gospel requires, it would ill become us 
to natter either ourselves or others, with being the true followers of 
Christ, merely on account of that external profession of Christianity, 
which is generally apparent among us. Is it not undeniably evident, 
that such a profession, unless it be accompanied with strict holiness, will 
subject us to more and heavier stripes, than if we had never known the 
will of our heavenly Father, nor ever acknowledged Christ as our right- 
ful Lord? Luke xii, 47, 48. Did not our gracious Master himself once 
openly manifest a greater degree of abhorrence toward the lukewarm 
Christian, than toward the notorious sinner? Rev. iii, 16. And has he 
not plainly declared, that myriads of righteous heathens shall be permit- 
ted to sit down in the kingdom of God, while multitudes of his professing 
people shall be cast into outer darkness ? Luke xiii, 28, 29. 

5. After infants have been baptized, and after young persons have 
been admitted to the holy communion, the true pastor, instead of taking 
it for granted that they are become unfeigned Christians by partaking 
of these ordinances, examines them with diligence from time to time, 
and, from an attentive observation of their conduct, forms a judgment of 
their faith. If, after the strictest scrutiny, he discovers some among 
them who hold the form without experiencing the power of godliness, he 
renews his work with increasing ardour. The most painful part of his 
duty is still before him, when he attempts to convert those sinners, whe 



THE P0RTBAIT OF ST. PAUL. 95 

are baptized, and those infidels who are communicants: since, before 
he can lead them to that faith which worketh by love, as St. Paul was 
accustomed to lead unprejudiced heathens, he must first unmask them 
with a holy severity, as the blessed Jesus was accustomed to unmask the 
Pharisees of his day. 

6. If unregenerate Christians are heathens by their worldly disposi- 
tions ; if they are Pharisees by their presumption, and confirmed in their 
Pharisaism by the fallacious opinions they indulge of their prerogative 
under the Gospel ; it follows that every modern pastor is called to a per- 
formance of the twofold duty above described, and if this be the case, 
how unreasonable is it to imagine, that the ministers of our own time 
have a much less difficult task before them than those who were formerly 
commissioned to publish the Gospel ! 

7. All pastors have an important task assigned them, and, till this is 
pel-formed, they are required to labour without fainting. Observe in 
what this task consists : — "He that descended from heaven," saith St. 
Paul, " gave some apostles, and some pastors and teachers, for the per- 
fecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the 
body of Christ : till we all come, [both pastors and flocks,] unto the mea- 
sure of the stature of the fulness of Christ," Eph. iv, 11-13. When 
every Christian has attained to this exalted state, the ministers of the 
Gospel may then assert their work to be complete, and need no longer 
imitate the diligence of St. Paul. But while we are surrounded with 
baptized swearers, Sabbath breakers, slanderers, gamesters, drunkards, 
gluttons, debauchees, blasphemers, and hypocrites, who are using every 
effort to render Christianity despicable before infidels, and execrable in 
the eyes of philosophers ; at such a time, it cannot be reasonably ima- 
gined, that any individual labourer is permitted to stand idle in the spiritual 
vineyard. And yet, in this very time of universal degeneracy, there are 
not wanting many among us, who inconsiderately cry out : " St. Paul, 
without doubt, had reason to labour with unremitting assiduity for the 
conversion of idolatrous heathens ; but we are converted already, and 
see no necessity for that burning zeal, and those strenuous efforts among 
our modern teachers, which were formerly commendable in that apostle." 

8. If it be objected, that Christians are here represented in a more 
deplorable point of view, than candour or observation can warrant ; we 
make our appeal to those proclamations which have been made with a 
view to repress the single sin of profaning the name of God, by impious 
oaths and horrible imprecations. These must undoubtedly be considered 
as public testimonies of public guilt. In such proclamations, all Chris- 
tian governments, whether Catholic or Protestant, equally complain, that 
all the civil laws by which they have endeavoured to enforce the law 
of God, have proved insufficient to prevent the overflowings of a crime 
as insipid as it is disgraceful. In vain have new penalties and punish- 
ments been decreed ; in vain are they constantly held forth from the 
pulpits of preachers and the thrones of kings ; this despicable vice still 
reigns undisturbed among us, insulting over the broken laws of earth and 
heaven. Now, if it has hitherto been found impossible to prevent the 
commission of a sin, which has neither pleasure nor profit to plead in its 
favour, what can we expect concerning all those thousand vices which 
allure with promises of both ? Are not dissimulation and perjury, injustice 



96 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 

and covetousness, lasciviousness and luxury, apparent among the mem- 
bers of every Church ? Do not rapine, revenge, and murder, defile every 
part of Christendom, in spite of prisons, banishment, and death ? It is a 
truth too notorious to be controverted, that every crime, with which 
human nature has ever been polluted, is still continually practised in the 
most enlightened parts of the world. 

We might here mention, if it were necessary, the contempt in which 
marriage is held, the instability of that holy estate, and the facility wi;h 
which so sacred a bond is broken. We might go on to bewail the fre- 
quent commission of suicide in Christian communities. But to speak 
of these, with many other sins which are increasing around us to an 
alarming degree, would be only to echo back those sad complaints 
which are every day breathed from the lips of the righteous. The 
above remarks may possibly appear uncharitable to some : but, if they 
be without foundation, how many unmeaning expressions do we find in 
our liturgy ! What hypocrisy in our public confessions ! What false 
humility in our prayers ! 

From all these observations, it is evident that the most heathenish 
manners are common among Christians, so called, and that the most 
scandalous vices are prevalent, even in those countries where reformed 
Christianity has erected its standard. Let the impartial inquirer then 
declare, whether it be not peculiarly necessary to preach repentance 
among those whose rebellion against God is accompanied with perfidious- 
ness and hypocrisy ? 



CHAPTER VII. 

The same subject continued. 

1. Were it even certain, that professing Christians in general walk 
according to their holy vocation, would it be commendable in pastors to 
show less concern for the salvation of Christ's apparent disciples, than 
was anciently discovered by St. Paul for the conversion of persecuting 
heathens? Christians are our brethren. The Church, our common 
mother, has nourished us with the same spiritual milk, and calls us to 
a participation of the same heavenly inheritance. Christians are no 
more strangers; and even those who are bad citizens, and unfaithful 
domestics, are, nevertheless, in some sense citizens of the same city with 
ourselves, and "of the household of God," Eph. ii, 19. Hence, as we 
compose but one household, so whenever we are disposed to neglect any 
part of this family, we may apply to ourselves the following words of 
the apostle : " If any provide not for his own, and especially for those 
of his own house, he has denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel," 
1 Tim. v, 8. Let ministers, then, be placed in the happiest imaginable 
circumstances, and it will still become them to cry out, with the pious 
benevolence of St. Paul, " As we have opportunity, let us do good unto 
all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith," Ga- 
latians v, 10. 

2. We may here pursue the idea which Christ himself has given us, by 
comparing his Church to a vineyard. If it be necessaiy to graft those 
stocks which are naturally wild, is it less necessary to cultivate those 



THE PORTRAIT OF ST. TAUL. 97 

which have been already grafted ? We see the husbandmen bestowing 
most culture upon those vines which produce the most excellent fruit. 
Let ministers attend to this general rule : and since they only can be 
fruitful in the sacred vineyard, who receive the word of God in faith, let 
them study to train up believers to the highest state of maturity. Thus 
the heavenly husbandman is represented as purging every fruitful 
branch, " that it may bring forth more fruit," John xv, 2. 

3. The word of God must be offered to sinners as a remedy suited 
to the disease of their souls : but to the faithful it must be administered 
as nourishing food. Hence, as the order of grace resembles that ot 
nature, it is necessary, in a spiritual sense, to minister nutriment to the 
healthy in much greater quantities, than medicine to those who are dis 
eased. Thus believers, who constantly hunger and thirst after greater 
degrees of grace, should more frequently receive the living word, that 
they " may abound yet more and more in knowledge," till they are 
"filled with the fruits of righteousness," Phil, i, 9-11. 

4. We find the following expressions in the Epistle of St. Paul to the 
Romans : " I am persuaded of you, my brethren, that ye are full of 
goodness, filled with all knowledge, able to admonish one another. 
Nevertheless, I have written the more boldly unto you, as putting you in 
mind. And I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual 
gift, to the end ye may be established," Rom. xv, 14, 15 ; i, 11. Now, 
if St. Paul could express so earnest a desire to instruct those Christians, 
who were perfect strangers to him, and who were already so Divinely 
enlightened ; far from being imitators of this great apostle, do we not 
forfeit all pretensions to charity, while we suffer those ignorant Chris- 
tians to perish " for lack of knowledge," Hos. iv, 6, who are not only 
of our neighbourhood, but probably of our very parish? 

5. Though St. Paul was assisted with miraculous endowments, yet 
how anxiously did he endeavour to fill up the twofold duties of a be- 
liever in Christ, and a minister of his Gospel ! And shall we refuse to 
labour with equal earnestness, whose gifts are so mean, and whose 
graces are so inconsiderable ? Appointed, like the primitive preachers 
of Christianity, to be " fishers of men," is it not perfectly reasonable 
that we should manifest as great activity with our feeble lines, as St. 
Paul was accustomed to discover in the use of his capacious net ? If 
that apostle, filled with holy zeal, was enabled to convert more sinners 
by a single discourse, than many pastors are known to convert in a 
thousand sermons, should we not, by our uncommon assiduity, supply, 
as much as possible, the want of that incomprehensible energy which 
accompanied his ministerial labours? 

6. Ministers are compared to labourers, who go forth to cultivate the 
lands of their master. Now St. Paul, as the foremost of these labourers, 
wrought night and day with an extraordinary instrument, which marked 
out furrows of an uncommon depth, and ploughed up entire provinces 
on a sudden. He made the fullest proof of his ministry, and by the most 
astonishing efforts spread the seed of the Gospel " from Jerusalem round 
about unto Illyricum," Rom. xv, 19. How vast a difference between 
the former and latter pastors of the Christian Church ! Many of us are 
content to stand altogether idle, till " the night cometh, in which no man 
can work," John ix, 4 ; while others, who are disposed to some little 

Vol. IIJ. 7 



98 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 

occupation, employ themselves as workmen who have need to be utterly 
ashamed of their insignificant labours, 2 Tim. ii, 15. At best, we hold 
but a tardy instrument ; an instrument which, with immense- toil, will 
but barely graze the earth we are called to cultivate. And shall we, 
thus unhappily circumstanced, permit our ploughshares to gather rust 
during six successive days, and then leisurely employ them by an hour 
upon the seventh 1 Surely such a mode of conduct is as contrary to 
common sense as to the example St. Paul has left us. 

7. So astonishing is the inconstancy, the weakness, and the depravity 
of the human heart, that in spite of all the persevering industry of this 
apostle in the vineyard of his Lord, it still brought forth briers and 
thorns, to the anguish of his soul. " Behold," saith he to the Corinth- 
ians, " the third time I am ready to come unto you for your edifying. 
For I fear, lest, when I come, I shall not find you such as I would, and 
that I shall be found unto you such as ye would not : lest there be de^ 
bates, envyings, wraths, strifes, baekbitings, whisperings, swellings, 
tumults : and lest when I come my God will humble me among you, 
and that I shall bewail many which have sinned already, and have not 
repented," Rom. xii, 14-21. 

We shall close this chapter by proposing the following queries, which 
may be reasonably grounded upon the preceding passage. If the 
natural and supernatural talents of St. Paul ; if his zeal, his diligence, 
and his apostolic authority, were insufficient to engage Ins flock to con- 
duct themselves as followers of Christ ; if their want of piety drew 
from him tears of lamentation, and obliged him to renew his painful 
efforts with redoubled solicitude ; can those pastors be said to possess 
the spirit of the Gospel, who behold with indifference the disorders of 
that falling Church which Christ has purchased with his own blood 1 
And if the extraordinary labours of St. Paul were not sufficient fully to 
answer the design of the sacred ministry, is it not presumption indeed 
to imagine, that our trivial services are sufficiently complete 1 



CHAPTER VIII. 
A farther reply to the same objection. 

When we attack a prejudice that is obstinately defended, it is fre- 
quently as needful to multiply arguments as it is necessary in a siege to 
multiply assaults. Pursuing this method, we shall endeavour, upon 
new grounds, to establish the doctrine contended for in the two last 
chapters. 

1. After exhorting Timothy to labour without ceasing, St. Paul 
assigns the following reason for such injunction ; " Know," saith he, 
"that in the last times" of the Christian Church, "men," who make a 
profession of faith, " shall be lovers of their own selves, despisers of 
those that are good — lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God ; having 
a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof." Now, if Timothy 
was exhorted to use ail diligence in opposing those evils which were 
then only making their approach, is it reasonable that we should be 
remiss, who are unhappy enough to see those last times, in which the 
decay of piety, predicted by the apostle, is become universal ? On the 



THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 99 

contrary, is not this the moment in which we should strenuously resist 
the overflowings of ungodliness, and fortify those who are not yet swept 
away by the impetuous torrent 1 

2. When the great apostle benevolently carried the word of God to 
sinners of every different nation, he thereby armed against himself the 
authority of magistrates and priests, as well Jewish as Pagan. His 
universal philanthropy exposed him to the most cruel persecutions. 
Thousands and ten thousands were set in array against him, and the 
inhabitants of every kingdom seemed determined to resist or destroy 
him in his spiritual progress. He saw these surrounding dangers ; but 
he saw them without discovering any symptom of fear ; and rather than 
discontinue his painful labours, he cheerfully proceeded to encounter 
every threatening evil. We, on the contrary, are appointed to build up 
the children of the kingdom in their most holy faith. And shall we 
labour less because we can labour with less danger ? Shall we neglect 
the duties of our sacred function because our superiors in Church and 
state permit us to convert sinners, command us to preach the Gospel, 
erect us temples for the public celebration of Divine worship, and allow 
us salaries, that our ministry may never be interrupted by secular cares? 
The ministerial services, which St. Paul performed with such unabating 
zeal, when his reward was imprisonments and stripes, must we be en- 
gaged to discharge by emoluments and honours ? And, after all, shall we 
limit our constrained obedience precisely to that point, which will merely 
secure us from public depositions and disgrace ? 

3. What was the error of Demas ; a man as notorious by his fall 
among the evangelists as Judas among the apostles ? Demas " loved this 
present world," 2 Tim. iv, 10, and, ceasing to imitate the diligence of 
St. Paul, ungratefully left him to labour almost without a second. And 
will unfaithful evangelists presume, that they may imitate without fear 
the apostasy of Demas, and renounce with impunity the example of St. 
Paul ? If such be their unhappy persuasion, we submit the following 
queries to their serious consideration : — Are the souls of men less valu- 
able ; is sin of any kind less detestable, or the law of God less severe in 
the present day, than in the earlier ages of the Christian Church ? Have 
pastors a right to be remiss while the night of incredulity is blackening 
around them ? Are the attacks of antichristian philosophers less frequent 
and audacious at present than in former times ? Or, finally, is the ap- 
pearance of our omnipotent Judge no longer expected in the world 1 

4. If the apostles and primitive pastors have removed many threaten- 
ing impediments out of our way : if they have procured for us our present 
advantages, by the most amazing exertions, and at the prodigious price 
of their blood ; surely it can never be imagined that they acted with so 
much resolution, and suffered with so much constancy, that we might 
become the indolent readers of their unparalleled history. Was it not 
rather, that, animated with a becoming sense of their great example, we 
might make the highest improvement of our inestimable privileges ? 

5. The mountains are now laid low, the valleys are filled up, the 
crooked ways are made straight, and we have only to carry that salva- 
tion to sinners, for which such wonderful preparations have been made. 
And are we negligent in running the errands of everlasting love ? And 
are we backward in bearing the happiest tidings to the most hapless of 



100 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 

creatures ? No excuse then can possibly be made for this coldness, ex- 
cept that which the author of Emilius has put into the mouth of a ficti- 
tious character : " Of what importance is it to me," says the vicar 
Savoyard, " what becomes of the wicked 1 I am but little concerned in 
their future destiny." An excuse for the want of zeal, which can never 
be pleaded without reflecting the utmost disgrace upon humanity. 

6. Ye pastors of a flock ever prone to wander ! choose whom you 
will follow, philosophers or apostles ; the indefatigable zeal of St. Paul, 
or the cruel indifference of the skeptical vicar ? But, if you take the 
latter for your model, we solemnly entreat you to lay aside the profes- 
sion while you so shamefully renounce the duties of the holy ministry. 
" As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the 
wicked ; but that the wicked turn from his way and live," Ezek. xxiii, 
11. With you, however, it is a matter of very inconsiderable import- 
ance, whether the wicked be finally saved or destroyed. And yet, care- 
less as you arc of its weal or wo, you presume to appear as ministers 
of the Church, and as pastors over that little flock, for which the good 
Shepherd was content to lay down his life. To rank with the watchful 
attendants of the fold is an honour of which you are altogether unwor- 
thy ; but you may with propriety be counted in the number of those 
ungrateful hirelings, who "care not for the sheep," John x, 13. 

8. It is true, you are not without companions, as well ancient as 
modern. You have Hophni and Phinehas, Gehazi and Balaam, to keep 
you in countenance ; you have the prophets of Jezebel to plead in your 
favour, and every worldly ecclesiastic of the present day to approve 
your choice : but apostolical men will resolutely withstand you, like 
Elisha and his master, in the cause of deserted truth. Ye slothful 
domestics of the most diligent Master! Ye cruel attendants of the ten- 
derest Shepherd ! say, have ye never heard that Master crying out, 
with the voice of affection, " Feed my sheep ?" John xxi, 17. Have ye 
not seen him conducting his flock to an evangelical pasture, in the 
temple, in synagogues, in villages, in houses, in deserts, on the sea 
shore, and on the tops of mountains 1 He anxiously sought out the 
miserable. Truth was the guide of his way, charity accompanied his 
steps, and his path was marked with blessings. His secret efforts were 
more painful than his public labours : he publicly instructed through the 
day, but he privately agonized in prayer through the night. His first 
disciples were anxious to tread in the steps of their adorable Master. 
They exercised their ministry within sight of torments and death. And 
will you dare to neglect it, now the cry of persecution is hushed ? Will 
you equally despise both the promises and threatenings of the Gospel ? 
Will you hasten the time of antichrist by an antichristian conduct? And 
when the Son of man shall come, shall he find you trampling under foot 
the Gospel of his grace ? Or, shall he surprise you distributing cards 
round the tables of your friends, rather than earnestly inviting those 
friends to the table of your Lord 1 

O that we could prevail upon you to stand in your proper post, and 
act in conformity to your professional character ! "While you dream of 
security, you are surrounded with the most alarming dangers. " Stand, 
therefore, having your loins girt about with truth ; having on the breast- 
plate of righteousness, and your feet shod with the preparation of the 



HUB jfOHTttAIT OF ST. PAUL. 101 

Gospel of peace : above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye 
shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the 
helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of 
God ; praying always with all prayer, and watching thereunto with all 
perseverance, and supplications for all saints, [and for the ministers of 
the Gospel in particular,] that they may open their mouths boldly, to 
make known the mystery of the Gospel, and diffuse abroad the unsearch- 
able riches of Christ," Eph. vi, 14-19 ; iii, 8. Thus quitting yourselves 
like men in this sacred warfare, after steadily resisting, you shall finally 
overcome all the strength of the enemy, " by the word of truth, by the 
power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on 
the left," 2 Cor. vi, 7 : till, having weathered out the evil day, continu- 
ing " faithful unto death," ye shall be rewarded with " a crown of ever- 
lasting life," Rev. ii, 10. 



CHAPTER IX. 

A farther refutation of tlve same objection. 

(1.) When we see a number of persons in perilous circumstances, 
charity constrains us to make our first efforts in favour of those who 
appear to be in the most imminent danger. Such are unholy Chris- 
tians. Sinful heathens are doubtless in danger ; obstinate Jews in still 
greater peril ; but impenitent Christians are in a situation abundantly 
more lamentable than either ; since they offend against clearer light and 
knowledge, equally inattentive to the most gracious promises on the one 
hand, and the most terrible menaces on the other. To sin with the New 
Testament in our hand, and with the sound of the Gospel in our ears : 
to sin with the seal of baptism on our forehead, and the name of Christ 
in our lips : to sin and receive the holy communion : to ratify and break 
the most solemn engagements ; what is this, but earnestly labouring out 
our own damnation, and plunging ourselves into those abysses of wretch- 
edness which Pagans and Jews are unable to fathom? How eagerly 
then should every believer attempt to rescue his falling brethren ; and 
especially how anxious should they be to arrest those leaders of the 
blind who are drawing their followers to the brink of perdition ! As this 
is one of those arguments upon which the truth here pleaded for must 
principally rest, we shall consider it in the several points of view under 
which it is presented to us in the Gospel. 

(2.) The commission of St. Paul was particularly directed to the 
Gentiles ; yet, before he visited their benighted nations, he judged it his 
duty to make a full and a free offer of the everlasting Gospel to the 
people of the Jews. For the conduct of the apostle in this respect, the 
following reasons are to be assigned. First, The promises pertained to 
the Jews in a peculiar manner, Rom. ix, 4. Secondly, The children 
of Abraham, according to the flesh, had a more threatening prospect 
before them, in case of final impenitence, than any other people upon 
earth. " Tribulation and anguish shall be upon every soul of man that 
doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile," Rom. ii, 9. 

(3.) The same reasons, though chiefly the latter, are still to be urged* 



102 THE POETRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 

why the ministers of Christ should principally labour among Christians. 
For if sinners of the circumcision shall be more severely punished than 
the ignorant heathen, so the apostle declares that sinners, who are bap- 
tized into the name of Christ, shall be treated with still greater rigour 
than impenitent Jews. " He that despised Moses' law," saith he, " died 
without mercy under two or three witnesses. Of how much sorer 
punishment, then, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath 
trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath done despite unto the 
Spirit of grace ?" Heb. x, 28, 29. If this consideration were accom- 
panied with its due effect, it would fire us with the most unconquerable 
zeal for the salvation of the negligent Christians. 

(4.) In one of the last discourses our Lord addressed to the cities of 
Galilee, we find him reading over to them this dreadful sentence of con- 
demnation : " Wo unto thee, Chorazin, wo unto thee, Bethsaida ! for if 
the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and 
Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But 
I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day 
of judgment, than for you. And thou, Capernaum, which [by thy reli- 
gious privileges,] art exalted unto heaven, shalt, [for the non-improve- 
ment of them,] be brought down to hell." Yea, "it shall be more 
tolerable, in the day of judgment, for the land of Sodom, [which has 
been already consumed with fire from above,] than for thee," Matt, 
xi, 21-24. 

(5.) To draw the just consequences from this affecting menace, we 
must recollect that, when it was pronounced, the inhabitants of the above 
mentioned cities had been favoured, but for a very short interval, with 
the ministry of Christ and his messengers. And if the death and resur- 
rection of Jesus were afterward published among them, it is more pro- 
bable that these important facts were published only in a desultory and 
transient way. Nevertheless, the sinners of Capernaum were thought 
worthy of greater punishment than the sinners of Sodom. Hence, we 
conclude, that if the sinners of London, Paris, Rome, and Geneva, have 
hardened themselves against the truths of the Gospel for a much longer 
continuance than the citizens of Capernaum were permitted to do, there 
is every reason to apprehend that their sentence will not only be more 
dreadful than the sentence of Sodom, but abundantly less tolerable than 
that which was pronounced upon the inhabitants of Galilee. 

(6.) While we consider the various proportions in which future punish- 
ment shall be administered to the wicked of different classes, we may 
turn to those remarkable expressions of St. Peter and St. Paul : " If 
after having escaped the pollutions of the world, through the knowledge 
of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein 
and overcome ; the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. 
For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteous- 
ness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy command- 
ment delivered unto them," 2 Pet. ii, 20, 21. " If we sin wilfully after 
we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more 
sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful looking for of judgment, and fiery 
indignation, which shall devour the adversaries," Heb. x, 26, 27. These 
declarations assist us to discover the true ground of that apostolic exhor- 
tation, with which we shall close this chapter : "Of some have com- 



THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 103 

passion, making a difference : and others save with fear, pulling them 
out of the fire," Jude 22, 23. 

From this last view of the subject, we may perceive into how danger- 
ous an error those persons are fallen, who presume to object against 
imitating the zeal of St. Paul. 



CHAPTER X. 
A fifth objection answered. 

The solidity of the preceding remarks may be acknowledged by many 
pastors, who will still excuse themselves from copying the example of 
St. Paul. 

" It is unreasonable," they will say, " to require that we should 
preach the word of God, in season and out of season, as St. Paul once 
did, and as Timothy was afterward exhorted to do. We find it, in this 
day, a matter of difficulty to prepare any public address that may be 
either acceptable to the people, or honourable to ourselves." 

To this objection we return the following replies : — 

(1.) He, who spake as never man spake, rejected the arts of our 
modern orators, delivering his discourses in a style of easy simplicity 
and unaffected zeal. 

(2.) We do not find that St. Paul and the other apostles imposed upon 
themselves the troublesome servitude of penning down their discourses. 
And we are well assured, that when the seventy and the twelve were 
commissioned to publish the Gospel, no directions of this nature were 
given in either case. 

(3.) St. Paul gives the following pastoral instructions to Timothy : 
" Give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. Neglect not 
the gift that is in thee. Meditate upon these things : give thyself wholly 
to them. Take heed unto thyself and to thy doctrine ; continue in 
them : for in doing this, thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear 
thee," 1 Tim. iv, 13, 16. " Preach the word ; be instant in season, out 
of season. Reprove, rebuke, exhort, with all long suffering and doc- 
trine," 2 Tim. iv, 2. Now, had it ever entered into the mind of the 
apostle that it would be proper for pastors to compose their sermons in 
the manner of rhetoricians, and to deliver them as public orators, he 
would most probably have given some intimation of this to his disciple. 
In such case he would have held out to his pupil in divinity some instruc- 
tions of the following nature : " O Timothy, my son ! I have frequently 
commanded thee to labour in the work of the Lord, according to my 
example. But as thou art not an apostle, properly so called, and hast 
not received the gift of languages, I advise thee to write over thy ser- 
mons as correctly as possible. And after this, do not fail to rehearse 
them before a mirror, till thou art able to repeat them with freedom and 
grace : so that when thou art called upon public duty, thou may est 
effectually secure the approbation of thine auditors. Furthermore, 
when thou art about to visit any distant Churches, lay up in thy portman- 
teau the choicest of thy sermons. And wherever thou art, take care to 
have, at least, one discourse about thee, that thou mayest be prepared 
for any sudden emergency, and never appear unfurnished in the eyes of 



104 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 

the people." The idea of such a passage in the Epistles of St. Paul, 
whether public or private, is too absurd to be endured. 

(4.) If advocates, after hastily considering a question of difficulty, are 
ready to plead the cause of their client before a court of judicature ; 
can it be possible, that, after several years of meditation and study, a 
minister should still be unprepared to plead the cause of piety before a 
plain assembly of his unlearned parishioners? 

(5.) When we are deeply interested in a subject of the last import- 
ance, do we think it necessary to draw up our arguments in an orderly 
mariner upon paper, before we attempt to deliver our sentiments upon 
the matter in hand ? Are not the love and penetration of a parent 
sufficient to dictate such advice as is suited to the different tempers and 
conditions of his children ? After perceiving the house of our neighbour 
on fire, we do not withdraw to our closet to prepare a variety of affect- 
ing arguments, by way of engaging him to save both himself and his 
family from the flames. In such case, a lively conviction of our neigh- 
bour's danger, and an ardent desire to rescue him from it, afford us 
greater powers of natural eloquence than any rules of art can furnish 
us with. 

(6.) Horace observes, that neither matter nor method will be wanting 
upon a well-digested subject : — 

Cui lecta potenter erit res, 
Nee facundia deseret kunc, nee lucidus ordo. 

With how much facility then may suitable expressions be expected to 
follow those animating sentiments which are inspired by an ardent love 
to God and man ; especially when subjects of such universal concern 
are agitated, as death and redemption, judgment and eternity ! Upon 
such occasions, out of the abundance of the heart the mouth will speak, 
" nor will the preacher be able to repeat a tenth part of the truths which 
God has communicated to him, while meditating upon his text." {Act of 
Synod, chap, xi.) If malice can furnish those persons with an inex- 
haustible fund of conversation, who delight in malice, how much more 
may we suppose the charity of a pastor to furnish him with an inexhaust- 
ible fund of exhortation, instruction, and comfort ! 

(7.) It has been a plea with many ministers of the Gospel, that they 
neglect to proclaim that Gospel during six days in the week, lest they 
should be unprepared to address their parishioners, with propriety, upon 
the seventh. With teachers, who are thus scrupulously tenacious of their 
own reputation, we may justly be allowed to reason in the following 
manner : to what purpose are all those oratorical appendages, with 
which you are so studious to adorn your discourses: and who hath 
required all this useless labour at your hand? Isaiah i, 11, 12. If a 
servant, after being charged by his master with a message of the utmost 
importance, should betake himself to his chamber, and defer the execu- 
tion of it day after day, would not such a delay be esteemed an unpar- 
donable neglect ? Or, if he should attempt to apologize for the omission, 
by alleging that he had been busily engaged in learning to repeat, with 
precision, the message he had received, and to move upon bis errand 
with dignity and grace ;. would not such an excuse be regarded as an 
instance of the highest presumotion and folly ? And can we imagine 



THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 105 

that our heavenly Master will overlook that neglect in his public mes- 
sengers, which would appear in the conduct of a private domestic so 
justly condemnable ? 

(8.) What advantage has accrued to the Church, by renouncing the 
apostolic method of publishing the Gospel 1 We have indolence and 
artifice, in the place of sincerity and vigilance. Those public discourses, 
which were anciently the effects of conviction and zeal, are now become 
the weekly exercises of learning and art. " W 7 e believe and therefore 
speak," 2 Cor. iv, 13, is an expression that has grown entirely obsolete 
among modern pastors. But nothing is more common among us than 
to say, As we have sermons prepared upon a variety of subjects, we 
are ready to deliver them as opportunity offers. 

(9.) Many inconveniences arise from that method of preaching, which 
is generally adopted in the present day. While the physician of souls 
is labouring to compose a learned dissertation upon some plain passage 
of Scripture, he has but little leisure to visit those languishing patients 
who need his immediate assistance. He thinks it sufficient to attend 
upon them every Sabbath day, in the place appointed for public duty. 
But he recollects not, that those to whom his counsel is peculiarly neces- 
sary, are the very persons who refuse to meet him there. His unprofit- 
able employments at home leave him no opportunity to go in pursuit of 
his wandering sheep. He meets with them, it is true, at stated periods, 
in the common fold : but it is equally true, that during every successive 
interval, he discovers the coldest indifference with respect to their 
spiritual welfare. From this unbecoming conduct of many a minister, 
one would naturally imagine that the flock were rather called to seek 
out their indolent pastor, than that he was purposely hired to pursue 
every straying sheep. 

(10.) The most powerful nerve of the sacred ministry is ecclesiastical 
discipline. But this nerve is absolutely cut asunder by the method of 
which we now speak. When a pastor withdraws fatigued from his study, 
imagining that he has honourably acquitted himself with regard to his 
people, he is too apt to neglect that vigilant inspection into families, upon 
which the discipline of the Church depends. Such a spiritual instructer 
may justly be compared to a vain-glorious pedagogue, who, after draw- 
ing up a copy, and adorning it, for several days together, with all the 
embellishments of his art, should yet imagine that he admirably per- 
formed his part, in preparing it, at length, for his scholars, without any 
visible defects. And what could reasonably be expected from the pupils 
of such a teacher, but that, fearing neither scholastic discipline, nor par- 
ticular inspection, they should neglect to transcribe what their master, 
with so much unprofitable toil, had produced '? 

(11.) Since the orator's art has taken place of the energy of faith, 
what happy effect has it produced upon the minds of men ? Have we 
discovered more frequent conversions among us 1 Are formal professors 
more generally seized with a religious fear ? Are libertines more uni- 
versally constrained to cry out, " Men and brethren, what shall we do ?" 
Acts ii, 37. Do the wicked depart from the Church to bewail their 
transgressions in private ; and believers to visit the mourners in their 
affliction ? Is it not rather to be lamented, that we are at this day equally 
distant from Christian charity and primitive simplicity ? 



106 THE PORTRAIT OP ST. PAUL. 

(12.) Reading over a variety of approved sermons is generally sup- 
posed to be preaching the Gospel. If this were really so, we need but 
look out some school boy of a tolerable capacity, and after instructing 
him to read over, with proper emphasis and gesture, the sermons of Til- 
lotson, Sherlock, or Saurin, we shall have made him an excellent minister 
of the word of God. But if preaching the Gospel is to publish among 
sinners that repentance and salvation which we have experienced in our- 
selves ; if it is to imitate a penitent slave, who, freed from misery 7 and 
iron, returns to the companions of his former slaver} 7 , declaring the 
generosity of their prince, and persuading them to sue for mercy ; — if 
this is to publish the Gospel of peace, then it is evident that experience 
and sympathy are more necessary to the due performance of this work, 
than all the accuracy and elocution that can possibly be acquired. 

(13.) When this sacred experience and this generous sympathy began 
to lose their prevalence in the Church, their place was gradually sup- 
plied by the trifling substitutes of study and affectation. Carnal prudence 
has now for many ages solicitously endeavoured to adapt itself to the 
taste of the wise and the learned. But while " the offence of the cross" 
is avoided, Gal. v, 11, neither the wise nor the ignrrant are effectually 
converted. The Gospel is abundantly better suited to the " poor in spirit," 
than to those who value themselves as men of sagacity and science. 
" I thank thee, O Father," said the lowly Jesus, " that thou hast hid 
these things from the wise and the prudent, and hast revealed them unto 
babes," Matt, xi, 25. These babes, however, in the language of Christ, 
are the very persons who have been usually neglected by us, for the 
mere gratification of reputed sages. Alas ! how many thousand proofs 
do we require to convince us, that the wisdom of this world will continue 
to trample under foot the pearl of the Gospel, though, in order to secure 
its reception, it should be presented among the artificial pearls of a vain 
philosophy ? 

(14.) In consequence of the same error, the ornaments of theatrical 
eloquence have been sought after with a shameful solicitude. And what 
has been the fruit of so much useless toil? Preachers, after all, have 
played their part with much less applause than comedians ; and their 
curious auditors are still running from the pulpit to the stage, for the 
pleasure of hearing fables repeated with a degree of sensibility which 
the messengers of truth can neither feel nor feign. 

Notwithstanding the above remarks have been expressed in the most 
pointed manner, we mean not to insinuate that the errors already exposed 
are the only mistakes to be guarded against. Extremes of every kind 
are to be avoided with equal care. We condemn the carnal prudence 
of Christian orators ; but we as sincerely reprobate the conduct of those 
enthusiasts who, under pretence that Christ has promised to continue 
with his disciples to the end of the world, exhibit the reveries of a heated 
imagination for the truths of the Gospel. Too many of these deluded 
fanatics are found, who, taking their slothfulness and presumption for 
the effects of a lively faith, and an apostolical confidence, repeatedly 
affront the Almighty, and justly offend those candid hearers who are least 
disposed to take offence. Offences will undoubtedly come ; but it be- 
hooves us to make a just distinction between the real offence of the cross, 
and that which is given by an unlicensed presumption on our own part. 



THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 107 

If we are honoured with the pastoral office, let us consider the Holy- 
Scriptures as an inexhaustible mine of sacred treasures. In the law of 
the Lord let us meditate day and night. Before we attempt to deliver 
evangelical truths in public, let it be our first care to penetrate our hearts 
in private with an adequate sense of those truths. Let us arrange them 
in the most suitable order ; let us adduce and compare the several pas- 
sages of Sacred Writ, which appear to support or explain the particular 
doctrines we mean to insist upon. But, above all, joining faith and prayer 
to calm meditation, after becoming masters of our subject, let us humbly 
ask of God that •ztfapprjtfja, that lively and forcible elocution, which flows 
from the unction of grace. 

And here, instead of resting contented with barely requesting, we 
should labour to acquire what we seek, by frequently stirring up the gift 
that is in us. Let us embrace every opportunity of exhorting both be- 
lievers and catechumens. Let us carry, with unwearied constancy, 
instruction to the ignorant, and consolation to the afflicted. Let us be 
faithful in reproving sinners of every class, and diligent in training up 
the children of our parish. 

It is necessary indeed to be scrupulously cautious, lest we abuse the 
liberty of preaching from meditation, by becoming followers of those who 
are more worthy of censure than imitation. There are pastors of this 
kind who, having acquired a good degree of spiritual knowledge, and a 
wonderful facility of expression, unhappily begin to pique themselves 
upon appearing before a numerous assembly without any previous study. 
Conscious of their own ability, these self-sufficient preachers make little 
or no preparation for one of the most solemn duties that can possibly be 
discharged. They hasten to a crowded auditory without any apparent 
concern, and coming down from the pulpit with an air of the same easy 
confidence with which they ascended it, contentedly return to that habitual 
listlessness, which had been interrupted by the external performance of 
a necessary work. Alas ! if these presuming pastors could be prevailed 
upon to write over their sermons, to how much better purpose might 
they thus employ their hours, than by heedlessly trifling them away in 
frivolous conversation and shameful inactivity ! 

It is not to imitate examples of this nature that we solicit the ministers 
of Christ to recover those hours which are usually employed in com- 
posing their weekly discourses. How many are the important occupations 
of which the faithful pastor has his daily choice ! The wicked are to be 
reclaimed, and the righteous established. Hope must be administered 
to the fearful, and courage to the tempted. The weak are to be strength- 
ened, and the strong to be exercised. The sick must be supported, and 
the dying prepared for dissolution. By frequent pastoral visits to hamlets, 
schools, and private houses, the indefatigable minister should continually 
be moving through the several parts of his parish ; discovering the con- 
dition of those intrusted to his care, and regularly supplying the neces- 
sities of his flock ; diffusing all around instruction and reproof, exhortation 
and comfort. To sum up his duties in a single sentence, he should cause 
the light that is in him to shine out in every possible direction, before 
the ignorant and the learned, the rich and the poor ; making the salva- 
tion of mankind his principal pursuit, and the glory of God his ultimate 



108 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PALX. 

Thus, after having faithfully performed the work of an evangelist, 
when he is about to be removed from his charge by death, or by any 
other providential appointment, he may take an affectionate leave of his 
people, and say, " Remember, my children, that while I have sojourned 
among you, I have not ceased to warn every one of you,* night and day ; 
and if my word has not always been accompanied with tears, Acts xx, 
31, yet it has constantly flowed from the truest sincerity and affection. " 



CHAPTER XL 

A reply to the ffth and last objection, which may be urged against " Hie 
Portrait of St. Paid." 

Those persons who have already so earnestly resisted the truths for 
which we contend, will not fail to exclaim in the last place, by way of 
an unanswerable argument, " What you require of pastors is unreason- 
able in the highest degree. If they are indeed called to labour for the 
salvation of souls, with the zeal and assiduity of St. Paul, the holy ministry 
must be regarded as the most painful of all professions, and, of conse- 
quence, our pulpits will be shortly unoccupied." 

Monsieur Ostervald, who foresaw this objection, has completely an- 
swered it in his Third Source of the Corruption which reigns among 
Christians. " It will not fail to be objected," says this venerable author, 
" that if none were to be admitted to holy orders, except these who are 
possessed of every necessary qualification, there could not possibly be 
procured a sufficient number of pastors for the supply of our churches. 
To which I answer, that it would be abundantly better to expose ourselves 
to this inconvenience, than to violate the express laws of the written 
word. A small number of chosen pastors is preferable to a multitude of 
unqualified teachers. [One Elijah was more powerful than all the pro- 
phets of Baal.] At all hazards we must adhere to the command of God, 
and leave the event to Providence. But, in reality, this dearth of pas- 
tors is not so generally to be apprehended. To reject those candidates 
for holy orders whose labours in the Church would be altogether fruitless, 
is undoubtedly a work of piety ; and such alone would be repulsed by 
the apprehension of a severe scrutiny, and an exact discipline. Others, 
on the contrary, who are in a condition to fulfil the duties of the sacred 
office, would take encouragement from this exactness and severity ; and 
the ministry would every day be rendered more respectable in the world." 
Behold an answer truly worthy an apostolical man ! 

If it still be objected by the generality of pastors, that what we require 
is as unreasonable as it is unusual : permit me to ask you, my lukewarm 
brethren, whether it be not necessary that you should use the same dili- 

* It is highly reasonable that pastors should give evening instructions to those 
who have been engaged, through the course of the day, m their different callings. 
This season, whether it be in the most dreary or the more pleasing part of the 
year, is peculiarly suited to works of devotion. Such a custom might, at least, 
prevent many young persons from mixing with that kind of company, and fre- 
quenting those places, which would tend to alienate their minds from religion 
and virtue* 



THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 109 

gence in your sacred profession with which your neighbours are accus- 
tomed to labour in their worldly vocations and pursuits 7 

The fisherman prepares a variety of lines, hooks, and baits ; he knows 
the places, the seasons, and even the hours that are most favourable to his 
employment ; nor will he refuse to throw his line several hundred times 
in a day. If he be disappointed in one place, he cheerfully betakes 
himself to another ; and if his ill success be of any long continuance, he 
will associate with those who are greater masters of his art. Tell me, 
then, ye pastors, who make the business of a fisherman the amusement 
of many an idle hour, do ye really imagine that less ardour and perse- 
verance are necessary to prepare souls for heaven, than to catch trout 
for your table ? The huntsman rejoices in expectation of the promised 
chase. He denies himself some hours of usual repose, that he may 
hasten abroad in pursuit of his game. He seeks it with unwearied 
attention, and follows it from field to field with increasing ardour. He 
labours up the mountain : he rushes down the precipice : he penetrates 
the thickest woods, and overleaps the most threatening obstacles. He 
practises the wildest gestures, and makes use of the most extravagant 
language ; endeavouring, by every possible means, to animate both dogs 
and men in the furious pursuit. He counts the fatigues of the chase 
among the number of its pleasures : and through the whole insignificant 
business of the day he acts with as much resolution and fervour as 
though he had undertaken one of the noblest enterprises in the world. 

The fowler with equal eagerness pursues his different game. From 
stubble to stubble, and from cover to cover, he urges his way. He 
pushes through the stubborn brake, and takes his way along the pathless 
dingle. He traverses the gloomy mountain, or wanders devious over 
the barren heath : and, af er carrying arms all day, if a few trifling 
birds reward his toil, he returns rejoicing home. 

Come, ye fishers of men ! who, notwithstanding your consecration to 
God, are frequently seen to partake of these contemptible diversions ; 
come, and answer, by your conduct, to the following questions : — Is the 
flock committed to your charge less estimable than the fowl which you 
so laboriously pursue ? Or are you less interested in the salvation of 
your people, than in the destruction of those unhappy quadrupeds which 
give you so much silly fatigue, and afford you so much brutal pleasure ? 

Permit me still farther to carry on my argument. Was the panting 
animal which usually accompanies your steps in the last mentioned 
exercise incautiously to plunge into a dangerous pit ; though faint with 
the labours of the day, and now on your return, would you carelessly 
leave him to perish ? Would you not rather use every effort to extri- 
cate him from apparent death ? Could you even sleep or eat till you 
had afforded him every possible assistance? And yet you eat, you 
sleep, you visit ; nay, it may be you dance, you hunt, you shoot, and 
that without the least inquietude, while your flocks are rushing on from 
sin to sin, and falling from precipice to precipice. Ah ! if a thousand 
souls are but comparable to the vilest animal, and if these are heedlessly 
straying through the ways of perdition, may we not reasonably exhort 
you to use every effort in preserving them from the most alarming dan- 
ger, and in securing them from the horrors of everlasting death 1 

But, passing by those amusements which so generally engage your 



110 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 

attention, let me reason with you from one of the most laborious occu- 
pations of life. You are called to be " good soldiers of Jesus Christ," 
2 Tim. ii, 3. And can you possibly imagine that less resolution and 
patience are required in a spiritual warrior, than in an earthly soldier ? 
Behold the mercenary, who, for little more than food and clothing, is 
preparing to go on his twentieth campaign ! Whether he is called to 
freeze beneath the pole, or to melt under the line, he undertakes the 
appointed expedition with an air of intrepidity and zeal. Loaded with 
the weapons of his warfare, he is harassed out with painful marches : 
and after enduring the excessive fatigues of the day, he makes his bed 
upon the rugged earth, or, perhaps, passes the comfortless night undei 
arms. In the day of battle he advances against the enemy amid a 
shower of bullets, and is anxious, in the most tremendous scenes, to 
give proofs of an unconquerable resolution. If through the dangers of 
the day he escape unhurt, it is but to run the hazard of another en- 
counter ; perhaps to force an intrenchment, or to press through a breach. 
Nothing, however, discourages him ; but, covered with wounds, he goes 
on unrepining to meet the mortal blow. All this he suffers, and all this 
he performs in the service of his superiors, and with little hope of ad- 
vancement on his own part. 

Behold this dying veteran, ye timorous soldiers of an omnipotent 
Prince ! and blush at your want of spiritual intrepidity. Are you not 
engaged in the cause of humanity, and in the service of God ? Are 
you not commissioned to rescue captive souls from all the powers of 
darkness ? Do you not fight beneath his scrutinizing eye who is King 
of kings, and Lord of lords ? Are you not contending within sight of 
eternal rewards, and with the hope of an unfading inheritance ? And 
will you complain of difficulties, or tremble at danger ? Will you not 
only avoid the heat of the engagement, but even dare to withdraw from 
the standard of your sovereign Lord ? Let me lead you again into the 
field ; let me draw you back to the charge ; or, rather, let me shame 
your cowardice by pointing you to those resolute commanders who have 
formerly signalized themselves under the banners of your Prince. 
Emulate their example, and you shall share their rewards. 

But if, hitherto, you have neither contemplated the beauty, nor expe- 
rienced the energy of those truths by which St. Paul was animated to 
such acts of heroism, it is in vain that we exhort you to shine among 
the foremost ranks of Christians as inextinguishable lights, holding up, 
against every enemy, as a " two-edged sword," Heb. iv, 12, " the word 
of everlasting life," Phil, ii, 15, 16. Instead of this, it will be necessary 
to place before you the excellence and efficacy of this apostle's doc- 
trines, together with the infinite advantages which they procure to those 
who cordially embrace them. And this we shall endeavour to do in the 
second part of this work. Meanwhile, we will conclude this first part 
with a short exhortation from St. Chrysostom's fifty-ninth sermon upon 
St. Matthew. " Since the present life is a continual warfare ; since we 
are at all times surrounded by a host of enemies, let us vigorously 
oppose them, as our royal Chieftain is pleased to command. Let us fear 
neither labour, nor wounds, nor death. Let us all conspire mutually to 
assist and defend one another. And let our magnanimity be such as may 
add firmness to the most resolute, and give courage to the most cowardly." 



THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 

PART II. 

The doctrines of an evangelical pastor. 

The minister of the present age, being destitute of Christian piety, is 
neither able to preach, nor clearly to comprehend the truths of the 
Gospel. In general, he contents himself with superficially declaring 
certain attributes of the Supreme Being ; while he is fearful of speaking 
too largely of grace or its operations, lest he should be suspected of 
enthusiasm. He declaims against some enormous vice, or displays the 
beauty of some social virtue. He affects to establish the doctrines of 
heathen philosophers : and it were to be wished that he always carried 
his morality to so high a pitch as some of the most celebrated of those 
sages. If he ever proclaims the Lord Jesus Christ, it is in but a cur- 
sory way, and chiefly when he is obliged to it by the return of particular 
days. He himself continues the same through all seasons ; and the 
cross of Christ would be entirely laid aside, unless the temporal prince, 
more orthodox than the minister, had appointed the passion of our Lord 
to be the preacher's theme during certain solemnities of the Church. 

With the evangelical pastor it is wholly otherwise. " Jesus Christ," 
he is able to say with St. Paul, " sent me to preach the Gospel, not 
with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none 
effect. For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolish- 
ness ; but unto us which are saved, it is the power of God. For it is 
written, I will destroy the vain wisdom of the wise, and will bring to 
nothing the false understanding of the prudent. Hath not God made 
foolish the wisdom of this world ? For after that the world by this 
wisdom, [this boasted philosophy,] knew not God, [but rested in mate- 
rialism and idolatry,] it pleased God, by the foolishness of preaching, to 
save them that believe," 1 Cor. i, 17-21. The preaching of the true 
minister, which commonly passes for folly in a degenerate world, is that 
through which God employs his power for the conversion of sinners, 
and the edification of believers. It comprehends all that is revealed in 
the Old and New Testament : but the subjects on which it is chiefly 
employed are the precepts of the decalogue, and the truths of the apos- 
tles' creed. They may be reduced to four points : (1.) True repent- 
ance toward God. (2.) A lively faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. (3.) 
The sweet hope which the Holy Spirit sheds abroad in the hearts of 
believers. (4.) That Christian charity which is the abundant source 
of every good work. In a word, the good pastor preaches repentance, 
faith, hope, and charity. These four virtues include all others. These 
are four pillars which support the glorious temple of which St. Paul and 
St. Peter make the following mention : "Ye are God's building. Ye 
also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house." 



112 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. FAUL. 

By searching into the solidity of these four supports, we may observe 
how vast a difference there is between the materials of which they are 
composed, and that untempered mortar with which the ministers of the 
present day are striving to erect a showy building upon a sandy 
foundation. 



The evangelical pastor preaches true repentance toward God, 

The true minister, convinced, both by revelation and experience, that 
Jesus Christ alone is able to recover diseased souls, employs every effort 
to bring sinners into the presence of this heavenly Physician, that they 
may obtain of him spiritual health and salvation. He is fully persuaded 
that he who is not " weary and heavy laden," will never apply for 
relief; that he who is not *' poor in spirit," will constantly despise the 
riches of the Gospel ; and that they who are unacquainted with their 
danger, will turn an inattentive ear to the loudest warnings of a com- 
passionate Saviour. His first care, then, is to press upon his hearers 
the necessity of an unfeigned repentance ; that, by breaking the reed 
of their confidence, he may constrain them with the " poor," the 
" miserable," the " blind," and the " naked," to fall before the throne of 
Divine justice. Whence, after seeing themselves condemned by the 
law of God, without any ability to deliver their own souls, he is con- 
scious that they will have recourse to the throne of grace, entreating, like 
the penitent publican, to be "justified freely by the grace of God, through 
the redemption that is in Christ Jesus," Rom. hi, 25. It is in this state 
of humiliation and compunction of heart, that sinners are enabled to 
experience the happy effects of that evangelical repentance, which is 
well defined in the fourteenth chapter of the Helvetic Confession. " By 
repentance," say our pious Reformers, " we mean that sorrow, or that 
displeasure of soul, which is excited in a sinner by the word and Spirit 
of God, &c. By this new sensibility, he is first made to discover his 
natural corruption, and his actual transgressions. His heart is pierced 
with sincere distress. He deplores them before God. He confesses 
them with confusion, but without reserve ; he abhors them with a holy 
indignation ; he seriously resolves, from the present moment, to reform 
his conduct, and religiously apply himself to the practice of every virtue 
during the remainder of his life. Such is true repentance : it consists, 
at once, in resolutely renouncing the devil, with every thing that is sin- 
ful ; and in sincerely cleaving to God, with every thing that is truly 
good. But we expressly say, this repentance is the mere gift of God, 
and can never be effected by our own power," 2 Tim. ii, 25. 

It appears, by this definition, tha: our Reformers distinguished that by 
the name of repentance, which many theologists have called the awaken- 
ing of a soul from the sleep of carnal security ; and which others have 
frequently termed conversion. But, if sinners understand and obtain 
the disposition here described, no true minister will be over anxious that 
they should express it in any particular form of words. 



THE PORTRAIT OF ST. TAUL. 113 

How sifi and the necessity of repentance entered i7ito the world. 

Observe the account which the evangelical minister gives, after Moses 
and St. Paul, of the manner in which that dreadful infection made its 
way into the world, that corrupt nature, that " old man," that " body of 
death," which Christ, the seed of the woman, came to destroy. " When 
the tempted woman saw that [the fruit of the tree, which God had for- 
bidden her to touch,] was pleasant to the eyes, good for food, and to be 
desired to make one wise, she took thereof and did eat, and gave also 
unto her husband with her, and he did eat," Gen. iii, G. Thus entered 
into the very fountain head of our nature that moral evil, that compli- 
cated malady, " that lust of the flesh, that lust of the eyes, and that 
pride of life," 1 John ii, 16, which the second Adam came to crucify in 
the flesh, and which is still daily crucified in the members of his mysti- 
cal body. 

If Jesus Christ never publicty discoursed concerning the entry of sin 
into the world, it was because his sermons were addressed to a people 
who had been long before instructed in a matter of so great importance. 
On this account, he simply proposed himself to Israel, as that promised 
Messiah, that Son of God and Son of man, who was about to repair the 
error of the first Adam, by becoming the resurrection and the life of all 
those who should believe in his name. 

St. Paul was very differently circumstanced, when labouring among 
those nations which were unacquainted with the fall, except by uncer- 
tain and corrupt tradition. Behold the wisdom with which he unfolds to 
the heathen that fundamental doctrine, which was not contested among 
the Jews. " The first man Adam," the head of the human species, 
" was made a living soul ;" but Jesus Christ, " the last Adam, was made 
a quickening spirit ;" and he also is the head of the human species ; for 
" the head of every man is Christ," 1 Cor. xi, 3. " The first man is of 
the earth, earthy : the second man is the Lord from heaven. As is the 
earthy, such are they also that are earthy [worldly :] and as is the 
heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly [regenerate.] And as 
we have borne the image of the earthy, we, [whose souls are already 
regenerate,] shall also bear the complete image of the heavenly. When 
this mortal shall have put on immortality : for the flesh and blood, [which 
we have from the first Adam,] cannot inherit the kingdom of God," 1 Cor. 
xv, 45-53. 

As human pride is continually exalting itself against this humiliating 
doctrine, so the true minister as constantly repeats it, crying out in the 
language of this great apostle : " All unregenerate men are under s>jA , 
there is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God : 
they are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable. 
The way of peace have they not known : there is no fear of God before 
their eyes. We know that whatsoever things the law saith, [the natural 
or the Mosaic law,] it saith to them that are under the law ; that every 
mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God," 
Rom. iii, 9-19. " There is no difference ; for as all have singed and 
come short of the glory of God, [so all equally need the merits and 
assistance of] Jesus Christ, whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation, 
through faith in his blood," Rom. iii, 22-25. All those, therefore, who, 

Vol. III. 8 



114 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 

neglecting Christ, rely upon " the works of the law, are under the 
curse ;" and all their endeavours to deliver themselves by their imper- 
fect obedience, are totally vain. " For it is written, Cursed is every 
one that eontinueth not in all things, which are written in the book of 
the law to do them." Thus, by denouncing maledictions, as dreadful as 
the thunders from Mount Sinai, against every act of disobedience, " the 
law becomes our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be 
justified by faith," Gal. hi, 10-24. 



This doctrine is maintained by all the Christian Churches, 

When an evangelical minister insists upon the fall, the corruption and 
the danger of unregenerate man, he acts in conformity to the acknow- 
ledged opinions of the purest Churches. As I chiefly write for the 
French Protestants, I shall here cite the Confession of Faith now in use 
among the French Churches. " We believe," say they in the ninth, tenth, 
and eleventh articles of their creed, " that man, having been created after 
the image of God, fell by his own fault from the grace he had received ; 
and thus became alienated from God, who is the fountain of holiness and 
felicity ; so that having his mind blinded, his heart depraved, and his 
whole nature corrupted, he lost all his innocence. We believe that the 
whole race of Adam is infected with this contagion, that in his person 
we forfeited every blessing, and sunk into a state of universal want and 
malediction : we believe also that sin, &c, is a perverseness producing 
the fruits of malice and rebellion !" 

The Reformed Churches of Switzerland make as humiliating a con- 
fession. " Man," say they, " by an abuse of his liberty, suffering him- 
self to be seduced by the serpent, forsook his primitive integrity. Thus 
he rendered himself subject to sin, death, and every kind of misery ; 
and such as the first man became by the fall, such are all his descend- 
ants, Rom. v, 12. When we say, man is subject to sin, we mean by 
sin, that corruption of nature, which from the fall of the first man, has 
been transmitted from father to son ; vicious passions, an aversion to 
that which is good, an inclination to that which is evil, a disposition to 
malice, a bold defiance and contempt of God. Behold the unhappy 
effects of that corruption, by which we are so wholly debilitated, that of 
ourselves we are not able to do, nor even to choose, that which is good*" 
(Helvetic Confession, chap, viii.) Every man may find in himself suffi- 
cient proofs of those painful truths. " God is the Creator of man," say 
the fathers who composed the Synod of Berne, " and he intended that 
man should be entirely devoted to his God. But this is no longer his 
nature ; since he looks to creatures, to his own pleasure, and makes an 
idol of himself." (Acts of Synod, chap, viii.) 

This doctrine is also set forth in the Augsburg Confession ; as well as 
in the ninth and tenth articles of the Church of England, where it is 
expressed in the following terms: " Original sin standeth not in the fol- 
lowing of Adam, but it is the fault and corruption of the nature of every 
man, whereby he is very far gone from original righteousness, and is, of 
his own nature, inclined to evil, so that the flesh lusteth always contrary 
to the Spirit ; and therefore, in every person born into the world, it 



THE FOBTBAIT OF ST. PAUL. 115 

deserveth God's wrath and damnation." " The condition of man after 
the fall of Adam is such that he camiot turn and prepare himself, by 
his own natural strength and good works, to faith and calling upon God. 
Wherefore we have no power to do good works, pleasant and acceptable 
to God, without the grace of God by Christ preventing us, that we may 
have a good will, and working with us when we have that good will." 

Nothing less than a lively conviction of the corruption, weakness, and 
misery described in these confessions of faith, can properly dispose a 
man for evangelical repentance. 



Without evangelical repentance, a lively faith in Christ, or regeneration 
by the Holy Spirit, will appear not only unnecessary, but absurd. 

As the knowledge of our depravity is the source from whence evan- 
gelical repentance and Christian humility flow, so it is the only neces- 
sary preparation for that living faith, by which we are both justified and 
sanctified. He who obstinately closes his eyes upon his own wretched- 
ness, shuts himself up in circumstances which will not suffer him to 
receive any advantage from that glorious Redeemer, whom " God hath 
anointed to preach the Gospel to the poor ;" to heal the " broken hearted ; 
to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the 
blind ; to set at liberty them that are bruised ; to preach the acceptable 
year of the Lord," Luke iv, 18, 19. Reason itself declares, that if sin- 
ful man is possessed of sufficient ability to secure his own salvation, he 
needs no other Saviour, and "Christ is dead in vain," Gal. ii, 21. In 
short, so far as we are unacquainted with our degenerate estate, so far the 
important doctrine of regeneration must necessarily appear superfluous 
and absurd. 

Here we may perceive one grand reason why the ministers of the 
present day, who are but superficially acquainted with the depravity of 
the human heart, discourse upon this mysterious subject in a slight and 
unsatisfactory manner. 

The true minister, on the contrary, following the example of his great 
Master, speaks upon this momentous change with affection and power. 
Observe the terms in which our Lord himself declares this neglected 
doctrine : " Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a man be born of 
water, and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God," John 
iii, 5. As though he should say, The natural man, how beautiful an 
appearance soever he may make, is possessed of a heart so desperately 
wicked, that unless it be broken by the repentance which John the Bap- 
tist preached, and regenerated by the faith which I declare, he can never 
become a citizen of heaven. For the doors of my kingdom must remain 
everlastingly barred against those " ravening wolves," who disguise them- 
selves as sheep, Matt, vii, 15 ; and those painted hypocrites, who salute 
me as their Lord, without embracing my doctrines, and observing my 
commands. " Verily," therefore, " I say unto you," my first disciples 
and friends, " Except ye be converted, and become as little children," 
who are strangers to envious, ambitious, or impure thoughts, " ye shall 
not enter into the kingdom of heaven," Matt, xviii, 3. 

Such is the doctrine that is still able to convert every inquiring Nico- 
demus. At first it may perplex and confound them; but, at length, 



116 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 

submitting to the wisdom of their heavenly Teacher, they will cry, " Im- 
part to us, Lord, this regenerating faith :" and when once they have 
obtained their request, they will adopt the prayer of the disciples, Luke 
xvii, 5, and proceed, like them, from faith to faith, till all things in their 
regenerate hearts are become new. 

But if this doctrine is a savour of life unto some, it is also a savour of 
death unto others. It gives offence to blinded bigots, while modern infi- 
dels strengthen themselves against it, as Pharaoh once strengthened 
himself against the authority of Jehovah. "Thus saith the Lord," said 
Moses to that obstinate monarch, " Let my people go, that they may 
serve me," Exod. viii, 1 ; and the haughty infidel replied, " Who is the 
Lord, that I should obey his voice ? I know not the Lord, neither will 
I let Israel go," Exod. v, 2. Come up out of mystic Egypt, saith the 
Son of God to every sinful soul : " Follow me in the regeneration," Matt. 
xix, 28, and I will teach you to " worship God in spirit and in truth," 
John iv, 24. " And who is the Son of God ?" replies some petty Pha- 
raoh : "I know neither him nor his Father, nor conceive myself in any 
wise obliged to obey his commands." 

Impious as this language may appear, the conduct of every irreligious 
Christian must be considered as equivalent to it, according to those words 
of our Lord, " He that despiseth" my servants, and my doctrines, 
" despiseth me ; and he that despiseth me, despiseth Irim that sent me," 
Luke x, 16. Whatever mask such a Pharisaical professor may wear, 
he " loves the world :" therefore " the love of the Father is not in him," 
1 John ii, 15. He hates both Christ and his Father, John xv, 24, his 
repentance is superficial, his faith is vain, and, sooner or later, his actions 
or his words will testify that he is an utter enemy to Christ and his 
members. 



How the faithful pastor leads sinners to repentance. 

What was spoken by God to Jeremiah, may in some sort be applied 
to the true minister : " I have set thee to root out and to plant, to pull 
down and to build," Jer. i, 10. For before the sacred vine can be planted, 
the thorns of sin must be rooted up, together with the thistles of counter- 
feit righteousness. And before the strong tower of salvation can be 
erected, that spiritual Babel must be overthrown, by which presumptuous 
men are still exalting themselves against heaven. 

To lead sinners into a state of evangelical repentance, the true minister 
discovers to their view the corruption of the heart, with all the melan- 
choly effects it produces in the character and conversation of unregenerate 
men. After he has denounced the anathemas of the law against par- 
ticular vices, such as swearing, lying, evil speaking, extortion, drunken- 
ness, &c, he points out the»magnitude of two general or primitive sins. The 
greatest offence, according to the law, he declares to be that by which 
its first and great command is violated : consequently, those who love 
not God beyond all created beings, he charges with living in the habit 
of damnable sin ; since they transgress that most sacred of all laws, which 
binds us to love the Deity with all our heart, Matt, xxii, 37, 38. Hence 
he goes on to convict those of violating a command like unto the first, 
who love not their neighbour as themselves, Matt, xxii, 32 ; and to these 



THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 117 

two sins, as to their deadly sources, he traces all the crimes which are 
forbidden in the law and in the prophets, Matt, xxii, 40. 

And now he proceeds to lay open, before the eyes of professing Chris- 
tians, the two greatest sins which are committed under the Gospel 
dispensation. If the two great commands of God, under the new cove- 
nant, are to this effect, that we believe on his Son Jesus Christ, and love 
one another, 1 John iii, 23, it is evident that the two greatest sins under 
the Gospel are, the want of that living faith which unites us to Christ, 
and that ardent charity, which binds us to mankind in general, as well as 
to believers in particular, with the bands of cordial affection. As dark- 
ness proceeds from the absence of the sun and moon, so from these two 
sins of omission flow all the various offences which are prohibited by the 
evangelical law. And if those who are immersed in these primitive sins 
be withheld from the actual commission of enormous offences, they are 
not on this account to be esteemed radically holy, since they are possessed 
of that very nature from which every crime is produced. Sooner or 
later temptation and opportunity may cause some baneful shoots to spring 
forth in their outward conduct, in testimony that a root of bitterness lies 
deep within, and that the least impious of men carry about them a degene- 
rate nature, a body of sin and death. 

To give more weight to these observations, he sets forth the greatness 
of the Supreme Being, enlarges on his justice, and displays the severity 
of his laws. He tramples under foot the Pharisaical holiness of singers, 
that he may bring into estimation the real virtues of the " new man, 
which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness." To 
awaken those who are sleeping in a state of carnal security, he denounces 
the most alarming maledictions, calling forth against them the thunders 
of Mount Sinai, till they are constrained to turn their faces Zion ward ; 
till they seek for safety in the Mediator of the new covenant, and hasten 
to " the sprinkling of that blood, which speaketh better things than the 
blood of Abel," Heb. xii, 24. 

By this method, he conducts his wandering flock to the very point 
where ancient Israel stood, when God had prepared them to receive the 
law by his servant Moses. Now, after the people had heard the thun- 
derings, and " the noise of the trumpet ;" after they had seen " the light- 
ning, and the mountain smoking," Exod. xx, 18 ; when, unable any longer 
to gaze on the dreadful scene, " they said unto Moses, Speak thou with 
us and we will hear ; but let not God speak unto us, without a Mediator, 
lest we die," Exod. xx, 1 9. Then it was that Moses began to console them 
in the following words : " Fear not : for God is come to prove you, and 
that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not," Exod. xx, 20. So 
in the present day, they only who are brought to this poverty of spirit 
are properly disposed to receive the riches of Divine mercy. As soon, 
therefore, as the evangelical minister has sufficiently alarmed a sinner with 
the terrors discovered upon Mount Sinai, he anxiously prepares him for the 
consolations of the Gospel, by a sight of the suffering scene upon Calvary. 

Many pious divines have supposed that by preaching the cross of Christ 
alone, mankind might be brought to true repentance. What the fathers 
of the Synod of Berne have said upon this point deserves the attention of 
those who desire successfully to use that spiritual weapon which is 
" sharper than any two-edged sword," Heb iv f 12. 



118 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PATTI*. 

" The knowledge of sin," say they, " must of necessity be drawn from 
Jesus Christ. The apostle writes thus : « God commendeth his love 
toward us, in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us,' Rom. 
v, 8. It follows, that sin must have made us abominable and extremely 
hateful, since the Son of God could no other way deliver us from the 
burden of it, than by dying in our stead. Hence we may conceive what 
a depth of misery and corruption there is in the heart, since it was not 
able to be purified, but by the sacrifice of so precious a victim, and by 
the sprinkling of the blood of God," that is, of a man miraculously formed, 
in whom dwelt " all the fulness of the Godhead bodily," Colos. ii, 9. 
" The apostles have clearly manifested the sinfulness of our nature by 
the death of Christ ; whereas the Jews, after all their painful researches, 
were not convinced of sin by the law of Moses. After a solid knowledge 
of sin has been drawn from the passion of our Lord, there will naturally 
flow from this knowledge a true repentance ; that is, a lively sorrow for 
sin, mingled with the hope of future pardon. To this necessary work 
the Holy Spirit also powerfully contributes, bringing more and more to 
the light, by its mysterious operations, the hidden evils and unsuspected 
corruptions of the heart ; daily purifying it from the filthiness of sin, as 
silver is purified by the fire." (Acts oj Synod, chap, viii, ix, xiv.) 



How the prophets, Jesus Christ, his forerunner, and his apostles, prepared 
sinners for repentance. 

Ever faithful to the word of God, the minister of the Gospel endea- 
vours to humble the impenitent, by appealing to the sacred writers, and 
particularly to the declarations of Jesus Christ. 

The corruption of the heart is the most ancient and dreadful malady 
of the human race. Man had no sooner made trial of sin, but he was 
driven by it from an earthly paradise, Gen. iii, 24. And so terrible were 
its first effects, that the second man was seen to assassinate the third, 
Gen. iv, 8. This moral contagion increased through every age, to so 
astonishing a degree, that, before the deluge, " God saw that the wick- 
edness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the 
thoughts of his heart was only evil continually," Gen. vi, 5. " After the 
flood God still declared the imagination of man's heart to be evil from 
his youth," Gen. viii, 21. "The heart of man," saith he again, long 
after that time, " is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked : 
who can know it ? I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins," Jer. 
xvii, 9, 10. 

Our Lord himself, who perfectly " knew what was in man," John ii, 
25, being the Physician who alone is able to heal us, and the Judge who 
will render to every one according to his works, — our Lord has described 
mankind alienated from the chief good, filled with aversion to his people, 
and enemies to God himself. " I send you forth," saith he to his disci- 
ples, " as lambs among wolves," Luke x, 3. " If the world hate you, 
ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, 
the world would love his own ; but because I have chosen you out of 
the world," that ye should walk in my steps, " therefore the world hateth 
you. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you," John 



THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 11§ 

xv, 18, 19, 20. " All these things will they do unto you for my name's 
sake, because," notwithstanding their Deism and Polytheism, " they know 
not him that sent me. For he that hateth me hateth my Father also," 
John xv, 21, 23. " These things have I told you, that, when" they 
shall chase you from their Churches, as demons would chase an angel 
of light, " ye may remember that I told you of* them," John xvi, 4. 

The Jews were, doubtless, in one sense, the most enlightened of all 
people ; seeing they offered the true God a public worship unmixed with 
idolatry, were in possession of the Law of Moses, the Psalms of David, 
together with the writings of the other prophets, in which the duties 
required of man, both with respect to God and his neighbour, are traced 
out in the most accurate manner. Nevertheless, Jesus Christ represents 
this enlightened people as universally corrupted, in spite of all these 
advantages. " Did not Moses," saith he to them, " give you the law 1 
And yet none of you keepeth the law," John vii, 19. 

What appears most extraordinary in the sermons of our Lord, is the 
zeal with which he bore his testimony against the virtues of those Jews 
who were reputed men of uncommon devotion. Although they piqued 
themselves upon being eminently r'ghteous, he declared to his disciples 
that, unless their righteousness should " exceed the righteousness of the 
scribes and Pharisees," they should " in no case enter into the kingdom 
of heaven," Matt, v, 20. And observe the manner in which he generally 
addressed those religious impostors : " Wo unto you, scribes and Phari 
sees, hypocrites ! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the 
platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess [full of covetous 
desires and disorderly passions.] Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that 
which is within, that the outside may be clean also," Matt, xxiii, 25, 26. 

Nothing is more common than that blindness which suffers a man to 
esteem himself better than he really is, and this blindness is, in every 
period, and in every place, the distinguishing characteristic of a Pharisee. 
This species of hypocrisy, with which St. Paul was once elated, agrees 
perfectly well with the ordinary sincerity of nominal Christians, who 
blindly regard amusements the most trifling and expensive as allowable 
and innocent pleasures ; who look upon theatres as schools of virtue ; 
intrigue and deceit as prudence and fashion ; pomp and profusion as 
generosity and decorum ; avarice as frugality ; pride as delicacy of 
sentiment ; adultery as gallantry ; and murder as an affair of honour. 

To all such modern Christians may we not, with propriety, repeat 
what our Lord once openly addressed to their predecessors ? Without 
doubt, we are authorized to cry out against them, with a holy zeal, 
" Wo unto you, hypocrites ! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, 
which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's 
bones and of all uncleanness," Matt, xxiii, 27. " Ye outwardly appear 
righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity." 
Of hypocrisy, because your virtues have more of appearance than 
solidity ; and of injustice, because you render not that which is due to 
God, to Cesar, or to your fellow creatures, whether it be adoration, 
fear, honour, support, or good will, Matt, xxiii, 28. 

But if the depravity of the Jews in general, and of the Pharisees in 
particular, appears abundantly evident ; must we suppose there were no 
happy exceptions among them 1 It is true the royal prophet declares t 



120 THE PORTRAIT OF 8T. PAUL. 

" The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see 
if there were any that did understand and seek God. They are all 
gone aside, they are all together become filthy. There is none that 
doeth good, no, not one," Psalm xiv, 2, 3. But were not the disciples 
of our Lord to be considered in a different point of view ? No. Even 
after the extraordinary assistance afforded them by the Son of God, the 
apostles themselves did but confirm the sad assertion of the psalmist. 
Our Lord, upon whom no appearances could impose, once testified to 
James and John that, notwithstanding their zeal for his person, they were 
unacquainted with his real character ; and that, instead of being influ- 
enced by his Spirit, they were actuated by that of the destroyer, Luke 
ix, 55. " Ye, then, being evil," said he to all his disciples, Matt, vii, 11. 
" Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil ?" John vi, 70. 
" One of you shall betray me," — Peter, who is the most resolute to con- 
fess me, shall " deny me thrice — and all ye shall be offended because 
of me," Matt, xxvi, 21, 34, 31. Lastly: our Lord constantly repre- 
sented the unregenerate as persons diseased and condemned. " They 
that are whole," said he, " have no need of the physician, but they that 
are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance," 
Mark ii, 17. " Ye are of this world, therefore I said unto you that ye 
shall die in your sins ; for if ye believe not that I am He," and refuse to 
observe the spiritual regimen I prescribe, " ye shall die in your sins," 
John viii, 23, 24. " Except ye repent, ye shall perish," Luke xiii, 5. 

It is notorious, that John the Baptist prepared the way of his adorable 
Master by preaching the same doctrine. " O generation of vipers," 
said he to the Pharisees and Sadducees, to the profane and professing 
part of the nation, " who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to 
come ? Bring forth, therefore, fruits meet for repentance," Matt, iii, 7, 8. 

It is equally well known that the disciples were instructed by Christ 
himself to tread in the steps of his forerunner. "It behooved," said he, 
" Christ to suffer ; and that repentance should be preached nf his name 
among all nations," Luke xxiv, 46, 47. Hence an apostle was heard to 
cry out : " God now commandeth all men every where to repent," Acts 
xvii, 30. And at other times, the same divine teacher was inspired to 
write as follows : " We, who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the 
Gentiles, were by nature the children of wrath even as others," GaL ii, 
15 ; Eph. ii, 3. " For we were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, 
serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, 
and hating one another," Tit. iii, 3. 

The same doctrine was constantly held forth by the other apostles, as 
well as by St. Paul. " In time past," saith St. Peter, " we have wrought 
the will of the Gentiles, walking in lasciviousness, lusts, revellings," &c. 
1 Pet. iv, 3. "The whole world lieth in wickedness," saith the beloved 
John, 1 John v, 19 ; and St. James solemnly testifies, that every " friend 
of the world is the enemy of God," James iv, 4. 

This humiliating doctrine, which the world universally abhors, is a 
light too valuable to be hidden under a bushel : and till it be raised, as it 
were, upon a candlestick ,of gold, we can never hope to see the visible 
Church enlightened and reformed 



THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 121 



Observations upon the repentance of worldly men. 

If it be inquired, Do not all ministers preach repentance ? we answer, 
that, ordinarily, true ministers alone preach true repentance. The 
preachers of the day, as they are conformable to the world in other 
things, so they are perfectly contented with practising the repentance of 
worldly men. Now, as he who receives only base coin, cannot possibly 
circulate good money, so he who satisfies his own heart with a short- 
lived sorrow for sin, cannot possibly give free course to that evangelical 
repentance which the Gospel requires. And it is observable, that the 
hearers of such ill-instructed scribes generally fix those bounds to their 
repentance which are satisfactory to their impenitent pastors. 

The repentance we here condemn may be known by the following 
marks : — 

1. It is superficial, and founded only upon the most vague ideas of 
our corruption. Hence, it cannot, like that of David and Jeremiah, 
trace sin to its source, and bewail the depravity of the whole heart, 
Psalm li, 5 ; Jer. xvii, 9. 

2. It is Pharisaical, regarding only outward sins. The righteousness 
of the Pharisees rested upon the most trifiing observances, while they 
neglected those weighty commands of the law which respect the love 
of God and our neighbour, Matt, xxiii, 23. They afflicted themselves 
when they had not scrupulously paid the tenths of their herbs : but they 
smote not upon their breasts when they had rejected the glorious Gospel 
of Jesus Christ. In the same dangerous circumstances are those peni- 
tents of the present day who are less sorrowful on account of having 
offended God and rejected Christ, than that they are become objects of 
ridicule, contempt, or punishment, by the commission of some impious 
or dishonourable action. We frequently hear these false penitents be- 
wailing the condition to which they have reduced themselves, and giving 
vent to the most passionate expressions of sorrow. But when are they 
seen to afflict themselves because they have not been wholly devoted to 
God 1 Or when do they shed a single tear at the recollection that they 
have not cherished their neighbour as themselves ? Are they ever 
heard to lament the want of that faith in Christ " which worketh by 
love ?" Gal. v, 6. Are they ever engaged in seeking after that com- 
munion of saints by which believers become of one heart and one soul ? 
Alas ! so far are they from this, that they continue equally tranquil under 
the maledictions of the Gospel as under those of the law. They hear, 
without terror, those dreadful words of the apostle, " If any man love 
not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be anathema maranatha," 1 Cor. 
xvi, 22. And though they neither love nor know him, yet they vainly 
look upon themselves as godly mourners and unfeigned penitents. 

3. This repentance is unfruitful, inasmuch as those who repent after 
this manner, are utter strangers to compunction of heart. None of 
these are constrained to cry out, " Men and brethren, what shall we 
do 1" Acts ii, 37. They come not to the Redeemer among such as 
" are weary and heavy laden," Matt, xi, 28. They have no experience 
of that godly sorrow by which the true penitent dies to sin : and so far 
are they from being bora again of the Spirit, that they neither expect 



122 THIS PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUI^ 

nor desire any such regeneration. In short, this repentance is rarely as 
sincere as that of Judas, who confessed hij sin, justified the innocent, 
subdued his ruling passion, and returned the money he had so dearly 
obtained. 

Evangelical repentance is an incomprehensible work to the generality 
of ministers. Wherever it appears they are prepared to censure it ; 
and are earnest in exhorting men to flee from it, rather than request it 
as a gift from God. Thus, when they behold any one truly mourning 
under a sense of sin, smiting upon his breast wiih the publican, strip- 
ping off, with St. Paul, the covering of his own righteousness, and 
inquiring, with the convicted jailer, " What must I do to be saved ?" 
Acts xvi, 30, they suppose these to be certain signs of a deep melancholy. 
They imagine the conversation of some enthusiast has driven the man 
to despair, and will not scruple to affirm that he has lost the proper use 
of his reason. So true it is, that " the natural man receiveth not the 
things of the Spirit of God," 1 Cor. ii, 14 ; nor is even able to form 
any just ideas of that repentance, which is the first duty imposed upon 
us by the Gospel, and the first step toward that holiness, without which 
no man shall see the Lord. 

The moralists of the present time acknowledge that all men are sin- 
ners ; but they neglect to draw the just consequences from so sad a 
truth. To be found a sinner before an infinitely holy and just God, is 
to forfeit, at once, both our felicity and existence. To appear as an 
offender in the eyes of our all-seeing Judge, is to lie in the condition of 
a broken vessel, which the potter throws aside as refuse : it is to stand 
in the circumstances of a criminal, convicted of violating the most sacred 
laws of his prince. The two most important laws of God, are those 
which require pieiy toward himself, and charity toward our neighbour. 
Now if we have violated both the one and the other of these laws, and 
that times without number, it becomes us not only to confess our trans- 
gression, but to consider our danger. When a traitor is convicted of 
treason, or an assassin of murder, he immediately expects to hear his 
sentence pronounced. And thus, when a sinner confesses himself to be 
such, he makes a tacit acknowledgment that sentence of death might 
justly be pronounced upon him. 

Some persons are naturally so short sighted, that they can only dis- 
cover the most striking objects about them. Many in the moral world 
are in similar circumstances, to whom nothing appears as sin, except 
impieties of the grossest kind. If we judge of God's commands accord- 
ing to the prejudices of these men, idolatry is nothing less than the act 
of prostrating ourselves before an idol ; and murder is merely the act 
by which a man destroys the life of his fellow creature. But if these 
deluded persons could contemplate sin in a Scriptural light ; if they 
could avail themselves of the law of God, as of an observatory erected 
for sacred meditation, their moral view would be sufficiently strength- 
ened to discover the following truths : — 

1. If we have not, at all times, placed a greater confidence in the 
Creator than in any of his creatures ; if we have either feared or loved 
any one more than our celestial Parent, we have then really set up 
another God, in opposition to the Lord of heaven and earth. 

2. If, neglecting to worship the Almighty in spirit and truth, we have 



THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 123 

suffered ourselves to be seduced by any splendid vanity of the age, we 
have sinned in the same degree, as though we had fallen down before a 
molten image. 

3. If, in our conversation, our reading, or our prayers, we have ever 
irreverently pronounced the " name of God," we have then taken that 
" sacred name in vain :" and God himself declares that he will not hold 
such a one guiltless. 

4. If we have refused to labour diligently, through the week, in the 
work of our particular calling ; or if we have ever made the Sabbath a 
day of spiritual indolence and frivolous amusement ; then we have 
neglected and broken that law which we are peculiarly commanded to 
" remember and keep." 

5. If we have, at any time, been wanting in obedience, respect, or 
love to our parents, our pastors, our magistrates, or to any of our supe- 
riors ; or if we have neglected any of those duties, which our relations 
in society, or our particular vocation has imposed upon us, we have 
merited that God should cut us off from the land of the living. 

6. If we have weakened our constitution by excess of any kind ; if 
we have struck our neighbour in a moment of passion ; if we have ever 
spoken an injurious word ; if we have ever cast a look directed by 
malice ; if we have ever formed in our hearts a single evil wish against 
any person whatever, or if we have ever ceased to love our brother ; — 
we have then, in the sight of God, committed a species of murder, 
1 John hi, 15. 

7. If we have ever looked upon a woman with any other feelings 
than those of chastity, Matt, v, 28 ; or if we have at any time cast a 
wishful glance upon the honours and pleasures of the world ; we have 
sufficiently proved the impurity of our nature, and must be considered 
as living in enmity with God, James iv, 4. 

8. If we have received the profit annexed to any post or employment, 
without carefully discharging the duties incumbent upon us in such situa- 
tion ; or if we have taken advantage either of the ignorance or the neces- 
sity of others, in order to enrich ourselves at their expense ; we may justly 
rank ourselves with those who openly violate the eighth command. 

9. If we have ever offended against truth in our ordinary conversa- 
tion ; if we have neglected to fulfil our promises ; or have ever broken 
our vows, whether made to God or man ; we have reason, in this respect, 
to plead guilty before the tribunal of immutable truth. 

10. If we have ever been dissatisfied with our lot in life ; if we have 
ever indulged restless desires, or have given way to envious and irregu- 
lar wishes ; we have then assuredly admitted into our hearts that covet- 
ousness which is the root of every evil. 

When St. Paul considered the law, in this point of view, he cried out, 
"It is spiritual; but I am carnal, sold under sin," Rom. vii, 14. And 
when Isaiah, passing from the letter to the spirit, discovered the vast 
extent of the decalogue, he exclaimed, " Wo is me ! for I am a man of 
unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips," Isa. 
vi, 5. If our self-applauding moralis's would be persuaded to weigh their 
piety in the same balance, they would find it as defective at least as that 
of Isaiah and St. Paul. 

Here, perhaps, some objecting Pharisee may say, " If I have sinned 



124 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 

in some degree, yet I have not committed such crimes as many others 
have done, and I trust that God will not be severe in attending to trifling 
sins." But, (1.) These pretended trifling sins are ordinarily of so great 
a number, that the multitude of them becomes equivalent to the enormity 
of those crimes which are rarely committed ; so mountains and seas are 
but collections of grains of sand and drops of water. 

2. Every voluntary transgression argues a real contempt of the legis- 
lator's authority ; and in such contempt there is found the seed of every 
sin that can possibly be committed, in opposition to his express com- 
mand. All the commands of God, whether they be great or small, 
have no other sanction than that which consists in his Divine authority, 
and this authority is trampled under foot by every petty delinquent, as 
well as by every daring transgressor. 

3. Those which we usually esteem trivial sins, are the more danger- 
ous on account of their being less attended to. They are committed 
without fear, without remorse, and generally without intermission. As 
there are more ships of war destroyed by worms than by the shot of 
the enemy, so the multitude of those who destroy themselves through 
ordinary sins, exceeds the number of those who perish by enormous 
offences. 

4. We have a thousand proofs that small sins will lead a man, by 
insensible degrees, to the commission of greater. Nothing is more com- 
mon among us than the custom of swearing and giving way to wrath 
without reason ; and these are usually regarded as offences of an incon- 
siderable nature. But there is every reason to believe, that they who 
have contracted these vicious habits, would be equally disposed to per- 
jury and murder, were they assailed by a forcible temptation, and unre- 
strained with the dread of forfeiting their honour or their life. If we 
judge of a commodity by observing a small sample ; so by little sins, as 
well as by trivial acts of virtue, we may form a judgment of the heart. 
Hence the widow's two mites appeared a considerable oblation in the 
eyes of Christ, who judged by them how rich an offering the same 
woman would have made, had she been possessed of the means. For 
the same reason, those frequent exclamations, in which the name of 
God is taken in vain, those poignant railleries, and those frivolous lies, 
which are produced in common conversation, discover the true disposi- 
tion of those persons, who, without insult or temptation, can violate the 
sacred laws of piety and love. The same seeds produce fruit more or 
less perfect, according to the sterility or luxuriance of the soil in which 
they are sown. Thus the very same principle of malice which leads a 
child to torment an insect, acts more forcibly upon the heart of a slan- 
derous woman, whose highest joy consists in mangling the reputation 
of a neighbour ; nor is the cruel tyrant actuated by a different princi- 
ple, who finds a barbarous pleasure in persecuting the righteous and 
shedding the blood of the innocent. 

If prejudice will not allow these observations to be just, reason declares 
the contrary. The very same action that, in certain cases, would be 
esteemed a failing, becomes, in some circumstances, an offence; and, 
in others, an enormous crime. For instance : if I despise an inferior, 
I commit a fault ; if the offended party is my equal, my fault rises in 
magnitude ; if he is my superior, it is greater still : if he is a respecta. 



THE TORTKAIT OF ST. PAUL. 125 

ble magistrate — a beneficent prince — if that prince is my sovereign lord, 
whose lenity I have experienced after repeated acts of rebellion ; who 
has heaped upon me many kindnesses ; who means to bestow upon me 
still greater favours: and if, after all, I have been led to deny and 
oppose him, my crime is undoubtedly aggravated, by all these circum- 
stances, to an extraordinary degree. But if this offended benefactor is 
Lord of lords, and King of kings — the Creator of man — the Monarch of 
angels — the Ancient of days, before whom the majesty of all the monarch? 
upon earth disappears, as the lustre of a thousand stars is eclipsed bv 
the presence of the sun — if this glorious Being has given his beloved Son 
to suffer infamy and death, in order to procure for me eternal life and 
celestial glory — my crime must then be aggravated in proportion to my 
own meanness, the greatness of benefits received, and the dignity of m) 
exalted Benefactor. But our imagination is bewildered, when we attempt 
to scan the enormity which these accumulated circumstances add to 
those acts of rebellion, denominated sins. 

They who are not working out their " salvation with fear and trem- 
bling," Phil, ii, 12, must necessarily live in the practice of some consti- 
tutional sin ; and this self indulgence, however secret it may be, will not 
suffer them to perceive the demerit of their daily transgressions. An 
old debauchee, whose chief delight has been in seducing women, or an 
infamous murderer, who has shed human blood like water, may as easily 
conceive the horror that adultery and murder excite in virtuous souls. 

Before we can form a rational judgment of sin, and the punishment it 
deserves, it becomes us to entertain just ideas of moral order, to mark 
the obligation laid upon the supreme Legislator to maintain that order 
by wholesome laws, and to discover, in some degree, the sanctity, the 
excellence, and the extent of those absolute commands. It is necessary 
to understand the dependence of the creature upon the Creator ; since the 
image formed by the presence of an object before a mirror, is not more 
dependent upon that object, than all orders of created beings depend 
upon the Creator ; if he withdraw his protecting hand, they are no more ; 
if he stretch out the arm of his vengeance, they are plunged, at once, 
into an abyss of misery. We must reflect upon all the various obligations 
under which we lie to the Almighty, as Creator, Preserver, Redeemer, and 
Comforter. We must consider those examples of his vengeful jus ice, 
which he has placed before our eyes, on purpose to awaken our fears, 
together with the unmerited favours by which he has constantly sought 
to engage our grateful affections. It becomes us likewise to observe the 
vanity of all those appearances by which we are allured into sin : and 
lastly, it is necessary to remember that " God will bring every work 
into judgment, with every secret thing," Eccles. xii, 14. While we pay 
not a proper attention to every one of these circumstances, we must 
necessarily form an imperfect judgment concerning the nature of sin, 
the severity with which God has determined to punish it, and the great- 
ness of that expiatory sacrifice by virtue of which his justice and his 
mercy unite in pardoning the penitent. 

When the law of God is wilfully transgressed, it is ridiculous in any 
man to attempt the justification of himself, by pleading that he has com- 
mitted no enormous crimes ; or that, if ever he has been guilty of any 
such offences, his good actions have always been sufficient to counter- 



126 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 

balance their demerit. Frivolous excuses ! Is not one treasonable act 
sufficient to mark the traitor ? Is not that soldier punished as a deserter, 
who flies his colours but a single time 1 And does not a woman forfeit 
her honour by one moment of weakness 1 

Though we grant, there are some sins of a peculiarly atrocious kind ; 
yet as murder will always appear, before an earthly tribunal, accord- 
ing to its horrible nature, so sin will ever be considered as such before 
an infinitely holy God. If a man, accused of having wilfully poisoned 
a fellow creature, should address his judge in terms like these : " The 
charge brought against me is just ; but let it be considered that the per- 
son I have destroyed was only an infant — that he was the child of a 
common beggar — and that this is the only murder I have committed 
through the whole of my life. On the other hand, I have been a con- 
stant benefactor to the poor ; and surely a thousand acts of charity will 
abundantly outweigh one little dose of arsenic." "No:" the judge 
would answer, " when you prolonged the life of the indigent by your 
alms, you merely performed a duty which is universally required of 
every worthy citizen ; and the law allows you nothing on this account. 
But if you have given the smallest dose of poison to any human creature, 
with an intent to destroy his life, the law pronounces you a murderer, 
and will punish you as such." 

After our first parents had offended by eating the forbidden fruit, they 
had but vainly excused themselves in saying, " We have only gathered that 
which appeared to be of little worth : we have tasted it but once : more- 
over, our labour in the garden is of much greater value than the fruit we 
have taken. Lord ! condemn us not to death for so inconsiderable an 
offence." Such, however, are the frivolous excuses with which every 
blinded moralist contents his seared conscience, and with which he 
hopes to satisfy his omniscient Judge. When St. Paul was one of this 
class, he practised upon himself the same delusions. Capable only 
of natural sentiments, the hidden truths of a spiritual law were not only 
incomprehensible, but vain and foolish things in his estimation. This 
we learn from the following passage in his Epistle to the Romans : " I 
was alive without the law once," paying little attention to the spirituality 
of its precepts, or the severity of its threatenings, and indulging no sus- 
picion either of my corruption or of my condemnation. " But when the 
commandment came," in its spiritual energy, " sin revived," assuming 
an appearance suited to its infernal nature, and, receiving a sentence of 
death in myself, " I died. I had not then known sin, but by the law ; 
for I had not known lust," which is the source of every evil, and the first 
cause of our condemnation, " except the law had said, Thou shalt not 
covet," Rom. vii, 9, 7. 

Every sincere Christian, in imitation of this apostle, may with pro- 
priety say, There are various sins, which I had never seen as such, but by 
the light of the Gospel : for example, I had lived in security with respect 
to abusing the faculty of speech, and had never known the Almighty's 
intention of judging me upon that article, if Christ himself had not openly 
declared, " Every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account 
thereof in the day of judgment : for by thy words thou shalt be justified, 
and by thy words thou shalt be condemned," Matt, xii, 36, 37. If those 
who trust in their own righteousness would seriously examine themselves 



TUB PORTRAIT OF ST. TAUL. 127 

by the twofold law of Moses and of Christ, they would form a new judg- 
ment of their spiritual circumstances, and pass, with St. Paul, from the 
state of the Pharisee into that of the publican. 

Farther : sins of omission, as well as those of commission, are suffi- 
cient to draw upon us the maledictions of the law, which equally com- 
mands us to do good and to abstain from evil. Offences of this nature 
are seldom regarded as sins by the generality of mankind : and hence 
they are wholly unalarmed at the recollection of them. To lack dili- 
gence in our duties, moderation in our joys, attention in our prayers, and 
zeal in our devotions ; to live without gratitude toward our Divine Bene- 
factor, without resignation under losses, patience in affliction, confidence 
in God during times of danger, and content in the state to which he has 
called us ; to want humility toward our superiors, courtesy toward our 
equals, affability toward our inferiors, meekness toward those who dis- 
please us, faithfulness to our word, strict truth in our conversation, or 
charity in the judgment we form of others : all these are things that 
never disturb the repose of a worldly man ; nor does he esteem them as 
real offences in the sight of God. He considers not, that an inattentive 
nurse may as effectually destroy a child by withholding from it proper 
nourishment, as though she obliged it to sip a poisonous draught ; that 
a soldier would be condemned to death, if the enemy should surprise a 
town while he was sleeping on his post, equally as though he had been 
busy in opening the gates for their admission ; and that Christ repre- 
sents the want of a holy fervour as the grand reason why lukewarm 
Christians excite in him the utmost detestation and abhorrence, Rev. iii, 
16. An entire chapter in the Gospel is employed to teach us, that sins 
of omission will constitute the principal cause of a sinner's condemnation 
at the last day. The slothful servant is cast into outer darkness, not 
for having robbed another of his talents, but for the non-improvement 
of his own : the foolish virgins are excluded from the marriage feast, 
not for having betrayed the bridegroom, but because they were unpre. 
pared to receive him : and every Christian is acquainted with that terri- 
ble sentence, which shall one day be pronounced upon the wicked: 
" Depart from me, ye cursed ; for I was an hungered, and ye gave me 
no meat," &c, Matt. xxv. To have that religion, " which is pure and 
undefiled before God," it is not only necessary that we " keep ourselves 
unspotted from the world," but we must also " visit the fatherless and 
widows in their affliction," James i, 27 ; relieving the unfortunate to the 
utmost of our ability, and exerting our whole power in spreading truth 
and happiness among all around us. 

Thus hunted, at length, from many a dangerous shelter, unhumbled 
sinners will still presume to adopt the following plea : " We pray, we 
fast, we give alms, we receive the holy sacrament ; and what more do 
you require ?" Such was the foundation of the ancient Pharisees' hope : 
but Christ and his apostles overthrew their vain confidence, by the same 
arguments which evangelical ministers are still obliged to turn against 
multitudes of religious professors, who indulge an exalted opinion of their 
own contemptible merits. 

The Gospel requires, say these faithful pastors, that to the external 
marks of religion, you should be careful to add humility and charity : 
and if these two capital graces are wanting, your religion is but a body 



128 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 

without a sou.. You have received the holy sacraments of our Church • 
but what salutary effects have they produced in your life and conversa- 
tion ? The circumcision, which saved the Jews, was not the circumcision 
of the flesh, but that of the heart, Rom. ii, 29 : and the baptism, which 
saves Christians, is not that by which the body is sprinkled with water, 
but that which purines the soul, 1 Pet. iii, 21. So the passover, which 
was acceptable to God on the part of the Jews, consisted not simply in 
eating the paschal lamb, but in penetrating their souls with gratitude, on 
recollecting the many wonderful deliverances which the Almighty had 
wrought for his people. And the communion, which is acceptable on 
the part of Christians, consists not merely in receiving the consecrated 
elements, as various classes of sinners are accustomed to do ; but in 
uniting themselves to the Lord by a living faith, and to all his members 
by an ardent charity. You pray — and did not the Pharisees so ? Yea, 
they were remarkable for their long and zealous prayers : but, alas ! 
w r hile they acknowledged "God with their lips, their hearts were far 
from him," Isaiah xxix, 13. You give alms, but, if you mean with these 
to purchase heaven, you do but deceive your own souls, while your pre- 
tended charity degenerates into insolence : or, if you merely seek to pro- 
cure the reputation of being charitably disposed ; you have your reward. 
You fast — but if you do this chiefly through custom, or through respect 
to the orders of your prince, your fast can no more be counted religious 
than the regimen prescribed you by a physician. And if these tacts 
have not produced in you a sincere repentance, and a true conversion, 
however you may regard them as acts of devotion, they are in reality no 
other than acts of hypocrisy. Moreover, the Pharisees fasted twice in 
the week; while you, it may be, are among the number of those who 
imagine they have made a valuable sacrifice to God, by abstaining from 
a single repast in a year. 

As Pharisaical moralists " have sought out so many inventions," 
Eccles. vii, 29, to evade the necessity of an unfeigned repentance ; 
and as philosophizing Christians rise up with one consent against this 
doctrine of the Gospel, we shall conclude this subject by disclosing the 
sources of their common error. 

1. There are phantoms of virtue, or virtues purely natural, which 
pass in the world for Divine. But who ever imagined the dove to be 
really virtuous because she is not seen, like the eagle, to make a stoop 
at birds of a weaker frame than herself? Or who supposes wasps to be 
generous insects, because they are observed mutually to defend them- 
selves when their nest is attacked? Is not the conjugal and maternal 
tenderness of the human species apparent, in an eminent degree, among 
farious tribes of the feathered kind? And do we not see among bees 
and ants that ardent patriotism which was so highly extolled among the 
Romans ? Does not the spider exhibit as manifest proofs of ingenuity 
and vigilance as the most industrious artist? And do no f carnivorous 
animals discover all that fearless intrepidity which is so universally 
boasted of by vain-glorious heroes ? Let us not mistake in a matter of 
so much importance : as nothing but charity can give to our aims the 
value of good works, so nothing less than the fear of God, and a sincere 
intention of pleasing him, can give to our most valuable propensities the 
stamp of solid virtues. If we could completely expose the worthless 



THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 129 

alloy, which worldly men are accustomed to pass off as sterling virtue, 
many of those who now esteem themselves rich in good works, would 
bo constrained to " abhor themselves, and repent in dust and ashes,'* 
Job xlii, 6. 

2. Many persons indulge too favourable ideas of the human heart, 
through their ignorance of that unsullied purity which God requires of 
his intelligent creatures. They judge of themselves and others as a 
peasant judges of a theme replete with solecisms, who, far from ex- 
pressing the discernment of a critic, admires the vast erudition of the 
young composer. Thus some external acts of devotion are applauded 
by undiscerning Christians as commendable works, which, in the sight 
of God, and before holy spirits, appear altogether polluted and worthy 
of punishment. 

3. If we are sometimes deceived by our own ignorance, we more 
frequently impose upon others by our innate hypocrisy. Unregenerate 
men, after having thrown a cloak over their distinguishing vices, are 
anxious to make a parade of virtues which they do not possess. The 
proud man is sometimes observed putting on the garb of humility, and 
with the most lowly obeisance, professing himself the very humble ser- 
vant of an approaching stranger. Immodesty is frequently masked with 
an affected air of chastity and bashfulness ; hatred, envy, and duplicity, 
veil themselves under the appearances of good nature, friendship, and 
simplicity : and this universal hypocrisy contributes to render its prac- 
titioners less outwardly offensive than they would otherwise be ; as an 
unhandsome woman appears less defective to a distant beholder, after 
having nicely varnished over the blemishes of her face. 

4. It frequently happens, that one vice puts a period to the progress 
of another. Thus vanity, at times, obliges us to act contrary to the 
maxims of avarice, avarice contrary to those of indolence, and indolence 
contrary to those of ambition. A refined pride is generally sufficient to 
overcome contemptible vices, and may influence its possessor to the per- 
formance of many apparently virtuous actions : hence the impious and 
sordid Pharisee went regularly to the temple : he prayed, he fasted, he 
gave alms ; and, by all these appearances of piety and benevolence, 
acquired the commendation of the world. Society makes a kind of gain 
by these acts of dissimulation, which are as the homage paid to virtue 
by vice, and by impiety to devotion. But, notwithstanding every plausi- 
ble appearance that can possibly be put on, when the minister of the 
Gospel declares the fall of man, together with the absolute need of 
regeneration, he is supported at once by revelation, reason, and ex- 
perience. 

5. If the moral disorder, with which human nature is infected, appear 
not always at its utmost height, it is because regeneration having com- 
menced in many persons of every rank, the wicked are overawed by the 
influence of their example. Add to this, that God restrains them, as 
with a bridle, by his providence, and by those motions of conscience 
which they vainly endeavour to stifle. It is notorious, that the fear of 
public contempt and punishment is sometimes able to arrest the most 
abandoned in their vicious career ; since they cannot discover what they 
really are, without arming against themselves the secular power. Thus 
the terror which prisons and gibbets inspire, constrains ravening wolves 

Vol. III. 9 



130 TIIE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 

to appear in the garb of inoffensive sheep. But is it possible, that 
innocence so constrained should be accounted of any value even among 
heathens themselves ? It is impossible, since we find one of their own 
poets declaring — 

Oderunt peccare mali, formidine poena. 

The wicked abstain from mischief through fear of punishment. And 
all the recompense he conceives due to such guiltless persons, consists 
in not becoming the food of ravens upon a gibbet : — 

Non pasces in cruce corvos. 

6. If servile fear is sometimes the cause of our innocence, necessity 
is more commonly the cause of our apparent virtues. A youth of any 
modesty is generally cautious among his superiors, who afford him neither 
money to indulge, nor liberty to discover his inclinations. Now, if this 
forced discretion should, at length, become habitual to him, he may in 
such circumstances esteem himself a virtuous man, because he has not, 
like the son of a dissolute courtier, plunged himself into every kind of 
impiety. Whereas had he enjoyed but equal liberty with the licentious 
rake, he might have surpassed him in every sinful excess. On the other 
hand, when an infamous voluptuary, enfeebled either by age or by his 
frequent debaucheries, finds it absolutely needful to live in a more sober 
and orderly style, immediately he takes himself for another Cato ; not 
considering that necessity alone is the source of his temperance. The 
least excess disorders his health, and the weakness of his stomach obliges 
him to abstain from those luxurious feasts, of which he can still converse 
with so much satisfaction. If such a one be virtuous, because no longer 
able to rush into his former excesses, then we may prove the most 
incorrigible robber to be an honest man, while the irons are on his 
hands, or when scared by the officers of justice, he flies to some secret 
retreat. Has that woman any reason to boast of her virtuous conduct, 
who was never solicited by those men who were most likely to have 
triumphed over her modesty ? And yet, many such, filled with self 
approbation, will frequently applaud their own innocence, placing that 
to the account of virtue, which was merely owing to providential cir- 
cumstances ; or, perhaps, to the want of personal attraction. Such 
plausible appearances no more merit the commendation due to solid 
virtue than the sickly wolf, who peaceably passes by a flock of sheep, 
can be said to deserve the caresses which a shepherd bestows upon his 
faithful dog. 

7. Effectually to impose upon others by a beautiful outside, we prac- 
tise a deeper deceit upon our own hearts ; and very frequently we suc- 
ceed as well, in hiding from ourselves our own evil dispositions, as in 
concealing from others our unworthy actions. Could we discover all 
that secretly passes in the world, we should not want demonstrative 
proofs of the depravity of the human heart. But why need we go 
abroad in search of a truth, which is easily evidenced at home ? Had 
we ourselves but dared to have executed openly, what we have acted in 
imagination, when our irascible or concupiscible passions have been 
roused, where should we have hidden our guilty heads, or how should 
we have escaped the sword of justice ? Convinced too late of our 
degenerate nature, we should, haply, have smitten upon our breasts, 



THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 131 

with the repentant publican, adopting long ago his humiliating confes- 
sion, in the anguish of our souls. Every thinking person must allow, 
that had evil intentions fallen under the cognizance of human laws, and 
had the secular power possessed equal ability to punish them, as it 
punishes those actions, of which they are the very root and soul, the 
whole earth must, in such case, have become as vast a scaffold, as it is 
now a place of graves. Can it be necessary to multiply observations 
upon this head, when the Almighty, whose mercy and justice are infi- 
nite, sufficiently declares the universal depravity of mankind, by the 
variety of scourges with which he is constrained to punish both individuals 
and commonwealths t 

8. If the children of this world are unable to form any just concep- 
tion of the human heart and its evil propensities, it is because they are 
in the number of those natural men, of whom the Apostle Paul makes 
mention, 1 Cor. ii, 14. And such, having a natural antipathy to the 
Gospel, while they are ever ready to cast reproach upon the faithful, are 
equally prepared to favour those of a like disposition with themselves. 
Thus Herod, Caiaphas, and Pilate, mutually overlooked the faults of each 
other, while they united in accusing and persecuting Christ. 

It is usual with many, who are destitute of true religion, to esteem 
some of their sinful companions as moral and well-disposed men. But, 
were they themselves to be really converted, their error, in this respect, 
would soon become apparent. Upon daring to oppose any torrent of 
impiety with the zeal of their heavenly Master, instead of finding among 
their associates any natural disposition to real virtue, they would meet 
with indisputable proofs, in spite of a thousand amiable qualities, that all 
unregenerate men resemble one another in their " enmity against God," 
Rom. viii, 7. Yes ; whether they inhabit the banks of the Thames or 
the Seine ; the lake of Genesareth or that of Geneva ; they are, in the 
sight of God, as filthy swine trampling under foot the pearls of the 
Gospel, Matt, vii, 6, or like " ravening wolves," Matt, vii, 15, outrage- 
ously tearing in pieces the Lamb of God. 

It might, perhaps, have been objected that this portrait is overcharged, 
had not Christ himself, who is immutable Truth, and unsearchable Love, 
penciled out the gloomiest traits observable in it. Following such a 
guide, though we may give much offence, yet we can never err. 



The second point of doctrine, insisted upon by the true minister, is a living 

faith. 

To show the necessity of repentance, without publishing the remission 
of sins, through faith in Jesus Christ, would be to open a wound without 
binding it up. It would be leading sinners to the brink of a tremendous 
gulf, and cutting off all possibility of their retreat. But nothing can be 
more contrary to the intention of the faithful minister, than to sport with 
the miseries of man, or ultimately to aggravate his distress. 

When he has discovered to his hearers that natural propensity to evil, 
which manifests its existence in every heart, by a variety of external 
transgressions : when he has convinced them, by the word of God, 
and by an appeal " to every man's conscience," 2 Cor. iv, 2, that they 



132 THE PORTRAIT OF 8T. PAUL. 

are unable to deliver themselves, either from that fatal propensity, or its 
dreadful consequences : after he has thus demonstrated the need in 
which they stand of a Redeemer, who hath " all power in heaven and 
in earth," Matt, xxviii, 18 ; if they " harden not their hearts," Psalm 
xcv, 8 ; if they stand, like the first sinner, naked and trembling before 
God, Gen. iii, 10, having received the sentence of death in themselves, 
2 Cor. i, 9 : in a word, when they ciy out, like the publicans and sol- 
diers alarmed by the preaching of John, " What shall we do ?" Luke iii, 
12 ; they are then properly disposed to receive "the glorious Gospel of 
Christ," 2 Cor. iv, 4, and will be enabled to experience its powerful 
effects. From this time, the evangelical pastor affectionately preaches 
remission of sins through faith in the name of a merciful Redeemer. 

This is the very same method which Christ and his forerunner pur- 
sued. " Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the 
world," was the cry of John the Baptist, John i, 29. And " blessed," 
said our Lord, " are the poor in spirit ; for theirs is the kingdom of 
heaven," Matt, v, 3. " God so loved the world, that he gave his only 
begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but 
have everlasting life," John iii, 16. " He that believeth on the Son hath 
everlasting life ; and he that believeth not the Son, shall not see life ; 
but the wrath of God abideth on him," John iii, 36. "Whosoever shall 
drink of the water that I shall give him, shall never thirst ; but it shall 
be in him a well of water, [a source of sacred consolation,] springing up 
into everlasting life," John iv, 14. Again, when it was inquired by the 
multitude, "What shall we do, that we may work the works of God? 
Jesus said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him 
whom he hath sent. And this is the will of him that sent me, that every 
one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting 
life : and I will raise him up at the last day," John vi, 28, 29, 40. Thus 
it was, that our adorable Master proclaimed salvation through faith in 
himself. And, indeed, it was for this end alone that he appeared upon 
earth ; as we learn from the last address he made to his disciples : 
" It behooved," said he, " Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the 
third day, that remission of sins should be preached in his name among 
all nations, beginning at Jerusalem," the abode of his murderers, Luke 
xxiv, 46. 

Observe the great commission given to those messengers of peace. 
" Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature. 
He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved ; but he that believeth 
not shall be damned," Mark xvi, 15, 16. To the same purpose was the 
commission with which the Apostle Paul was afterward honoured. I 
have " appeared unto thee," said the persecuted Jesus, " for this pur- 
pose, to make thee a minister and a witness to the Gentiles, unto whom 
I now send thee, to open their eyes, to turn them from darkness to light, 
and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgive- 
ness of sins, and inheritance among them that are sanctified, by faith 
that is in me," Acts xxvi, 16, 17, 18. 

The apostles unanimously preached in obedience to the orders, and in 
conformity to the example of their benevolent Lord. And all true 
ministers, instructed by the same Divine Teacher, continue to proclaim 
the glad tidings of the Gospel, through faith in Jesus Christ ; laying as 



THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 133 

much stress, in all their sermons, upon this efficacious grace, as the 
apostle of the Gentiles was accustomed to do in all his epistles. Take 
a few instances of St. Paul's usual custom in this respect. After having 
convinced the Romans of their corruption and misery, he sets before 
them " the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God hath set forth 
to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteous, 
ness for the remission of sins that are past : that he might be just, and 
the justifier of him that believeth in Jesus," Rom. iii, 24, 25, 26. 
" Therefore," continues he, " being justified by faith, we have peace 
with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ," Rom. v, 1. To the Cor- 
inthians he writes : " Brethren, I declare unto you the Gospel which I 
preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand ; 
by which also ye are saved, unless ye have believed in vain," 1 Cor. xv, 

I, 2. For "ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus," 1 Cor. vi, 

II. "God hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath 
committed unto us the word of reconciliation ; to wit, that God was in 
Christ reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses 
unto them : for he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, 
that we might be made the righteousness of God in him," 2 Cor. v, 18, 
21. To the Galatians : "Knowing that a man is not justified by the 
works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have 
believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by faith, and not by 
the works of the law," Gal. ii, 16. Before " faith came, we were 
kept under the law. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring 
us unto Christ. But after that faith is come, we are no more under a 
schoolmaster. For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ 
Jesus," Gal. iii, 23-26. To the Ephesians : " Blessed be the God and 
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath made us accepted in the 
Beloved : in whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgive- 
ness of sins," Eph. i, 3, 6, 7. " By grace are ye saved through faith ; 
and that not of yourselves : it is the gift of God. Not of works, lest 
any man should boast," Eph. ii, 8, 9. " Finally, my brethren — put on 
the whole armour of God — above all, taking the shield of faith, where- 
with ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked," Eph. 
vi, 10, 11, 16. To the Philippians : " Stand fast in one spirit, with one 
mind, striving together for the faith of the Gospel," Phil, i, 27. " We 
rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh. Yea, I 
count all things but loss, that I may win Christ, and be found in him, 
not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which 
is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by 
faith," Phil, iii, 3, 8, 9. To the Colossians : " It pleased the Father, 
that in him [the Son] should all fulness dwell ; and (having made peace 
through the blood of his cross) by him to reconcile all things unto him- 
self. And you that were sometimes alienated, and enemies in your 
mind by wicked works, hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh 
through death, to present you holy and unblamable in his sight ; if ye 
continue grounded and settled in the faith," Col. i, 19, 23. "As ye 
have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him. 
Rooted and built up in him, and established in the faith, as ye have been 
taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving," Col. ii, 6, 7. To the 
Thessalonians : " Let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the 



134 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 

breastplate of faith. For God hath not appointed us unto wrath, b\u 
to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, tha; 
whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him," 1 Thess. 
v, 8, 10. " We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, 
because that your faith groweth exceedingly. Now the Lord shall come 
to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe. 
Wherefore we pray that our God would fulfil in you the work of faith 
with power ; that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified 
in you, and you in him," 2 Thess. i, 3, 12. To Timothy : " This is a 
faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came 
into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. Howbeit, for this 
cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show forth 
all long suffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe 
on him to life everlasting," 1 Tim. i, 15, 16. " For God our Saviour will 
have all men to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 
For there is one God, and one Mediator between God and man, the man 
Christ Jesus, who gave himself a ransom for all," 1 Tim. ii, 3, 6. 
" Great is the mystery of godliness : God was manifest in the flesh, 
justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, 
believed on in the world, received up into glory," 1 Tim. iii, 16. " God 
hath saved us, [that is to say, hath put us in possession of the same 
present salvation, which the sinful woman experienced, who, while she 
prostrated herself at the feet of Jesus, in faith and prayer, received from 
him these consolatory sentences, " Thy sins are forgiven thee ; thy faith 
hath saved thee ; go in peace," Luke vii, 48, 50.] God hath saved us, 
not according to our works, but according to his own grace, which was 
given us in Christ Jesus — who hath abolished death, and hath brought 
life and immortality to light through the Gospel," 2 Tim. i, 8, 10. To 
Titus : " Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to Titus, mine own son after 
the common faith : grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father, and 
the Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour," Tit. i, 1,4, " who gave himself for 
us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a 
peculiar people, zealous of good works," Tit. ii, 14. " We ourselves 
were sometimes disobedient : but after that the kindness and love of God 
our Saviour toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which 
we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us — that being jus- 
tified by his grace, we should be made heirs of eternal life," Tit. iii, 3, 
7. To Philemon, he writes : " Grace be to you, and peace from God 
our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God, hearing of 
thy faith, which thou hast toward the Lord Jesus Christ. The grace of 
our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit," Philem. Thus, a persecuted 
Saviour became the Alpha and the Omega of this great apostle. 

In his Epistle to the Hebrews he uses the same language. It begins 
and concludes with Him who is " the beginning and the end" of all things, 
Rev. xxii, 13. " God," saith he, " hath in these last days spoken unto 
us by his Son, by whom also he made the worlds. Who being the 
brightness of his Father's glory, and the express image of his person, and 
upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself 
purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high," Heb. 
i, 1, 2, 3. " It became Him, for whom are all things, in bringing many sons 
unto glory, to make the Captain of their salvation perfect through suffer- 



T?f£ PORTRAIT OF ST PAIL. 135 

ings. Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, 
he also himself took part of the same ; that through death he might 
destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil ; and deliver 
them who, through fear of death, were all their lifetime subject to bond- 
age," Heb. ii, 10-15. " Though he were a son, yet learned he obedience 
by the things which he suffered ; and being made perfect, he became the 
author of eternal salvation," Heb. v, 8, 9. " This man, because he con- 
tinueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood. Wherefore he is able to 
save them to the uttermost that come to God by him, seeing he ever liveth 
to make intercession for them," Heb. vii, 24, 25. " Having, therefore, a 
High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near in full assurance of 
faith," Heb. x, 21, 22. "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, 
the evidence of things not seen : for by it the elders obtained a good 
report, who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, 
obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of 
fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, 
waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens," Heb. xi, 
1, 2, 33, 34. " Wherefore, seeing we are compassed about with so great 
a cloud of witnesses, let us run with patience the race that is set before 
us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith," Heb. xii, 1, 2. 
" Now the God of peace — make you perfect in every good work to do 
his will, working in you that which is well pleasing in his sight, through 
Jesus Christ ; to whom be glory for ever and ever," Heb. xiii, 20, 21. 

The same Saviour whom St. Paul was so anxious to declare in his 
epistles, he as constantly preached in his sermons. He was no sooner 
converted, but " straightway," says St. Luke, " he preached Christ in the 
synagogues, that he is the Son of God," Acts ix, 20. Take an abridg- 
ment of the first of his sermons which is left upon record, and which was 
preached at Antioch, in Pisidia. After asserting the fulfilment of that 
glorious promise which had been anciently given respecting the birth of 
our omnipotent Saviour, he cries out, " Men and brethren, children of the 
stock of Abraham, and whosoever among you feareth God, to you is the 
word of this salvation sent." For the inhabitants and rulers of Jerusalem, 
" because they knew him not," nor understood the sense of those pro- 
phecies which are read " every Sabbath day," have given them their sad 
completion, by condemning the Lord of life and glory. " Though they 
found no cause of death in him, yet desired they Pilate that he should be 
slain. And when they had fulfilled all that was written of him, they laid 
him in a sepulchre." But God, after three days, raised him triumphantly 
from the grave. " And he was seen many days" of his wondering disci- 
ples, whom he continued to visit and instruct, even after his resurrection, 
that they might become " his witnesses to the people." And now, " we 
declare unto you, that God hath fulfilled the promise which was made 
unto the fathers, in that he hath raised up Jesus from the dead. Be it 
known unto you, therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is 
preached unto you the forgiveness of sins ; and by him all that believe 
are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the 
law of Moses. Beware, therefore, lest that come upon you, which is 
spoken of in the prophets, Behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and perish : 
for I work a work in your days, a work which you will in no wise believe, 
though a man declare it unto you," Acts xiii. When the cross of Christ 



136 THE POOTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 

and its happy effects are thus faithfully declared, the word of God is never 
wholly preached in vain. Some, it is true, will always reject and count 
themselves unworthy of everlasting life, Acts xiii, 46. But others will 
rejoice in the truth, glorifying the word of the Lord ; and all those who, 
by a true poverty of spirit, are disposed for eternal life, shall effectually 
believe, verse 48. 

Some time afterward, St. Paul delivered a sermon in the prison at 
Philippi, the capital of Macedonia. St. Luke, his historian, has not 
favoured us with this discourse, but he has transmitted to us the subject 
matter of it. Despairing sinner, said the apostle to the affrighted jailer, 
who lay trembling at his feet, " believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and 
thou shalt be saved, and thy house." After hearing thus much, the 
astonished man collected his family together, and the apostle continued 
his discourse, declaring unto them all " the word of the Lord." Such are 
the small remains we are able to collect of this excellent sermon. But 
though we are unacquainted with its several parts, we know that it was 
attended with the happiest effects : for, before the return of day, this con- 
verted jailer, snatched from the very brink of destruction, was seen, with 
all his believing family, rejoicing in God, Acts xvi. 

When the same apostle was afterward appointed to speak before the 
senate at Athens, he could not, with propriety, set before those unhumbled 
philosophers "the mystery of the Gospel," Eph. vi, 19. But after bear- 
ing a public testimony against their superstition and idolatry, he pressed 
upon them the necessity of an unfeigned repentance ; announcing Christ 
as an omniscient Judge, that he might afterward proclaim him as the 
compassionate Saviour of men, Acts xvii. To the same purpose was 
that other sermon of his, which was delivered before the tribunal of Felix, 
when the Roman governor was seen to tremble under the power of an 
apostle's preaching, Acts xxiv, 25. The little effect produced by these 
two last mentioned discourses may be brought as a proof, that the most 
momentous truths are hidden " from the wise and prudent," while they 
are " revealed unto babes," Matt, xi, 25. 

It was by proclaiming the same mighty Saviour, that St. Stephen 
obtained for himself the first crown of martyrdom among the Christians. 
Behold an abridgment of his celebrated apology : " Men, brethren, and 
fathers," you accuse me of having spoken blasphemously against Moses. 
But, on the contrary, I publicly acknowledge him as the deliverer of our 
fathers, and gladly embrace this opportunity of reasoning with you from 
the character of that favoured prophet. " He once supposed," that, by 
certain of his actions, " his brethren would have understood how that 
God, by his hand, would deliver them." But so far were they from 
understanding any such matter, that one of them thrust him away, crying 
out in an insulting manner, "Who made thee a ruler and a judge over 
us ?" This Moses, however, whom they thus refused, was chosen of 
God to be their future prince and deliverer. " This is that Moses who 
said unto the children of Israel, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise 
up unto you of your brethren, like unto me." A prophet whom you will 
at first reject, as you rejected me ; but who, nevertheless, when you shall 
receive him, will deliver you out of spiritual Egypt, as I once delivered 
you from the land of bondage, when you gave credence to my word. 
This promised Saviour has already made his appearance among us, whom 



THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 137 

ye have rejected to your own condemnation. As our fathers rejected Moses 
in the wilderness, thrusting him from them, and in their hearts turning 
back again into Egypt, so you have rejected your greater Deliverer. " Ye 
uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost 
as your fathers did, so do ye. Which of the prophets have not your 
fathers persecuted ? And they have slain them which showed before of 
the coming of the Just One, of whom ye have been now the betrayers 
and murderers ; ye who have received the law by the disposition of angels, 
and have not kept it," Acts vii. 

That the powerful preaching of the Gospel is sometimes made " the 
savour of death unto death," 2 Cor. ii, 16, is sufficiently clear from the 
following account. After Stephen had finished ihis discourse, the hearts 
of his hearers were transported with rage, insomuch that " they gnashed 
upon him with their teeth." Meanwhile the holy martyr continued to 
proclaim Christ ; and, far from being intimidated by their threatenings, 
looking steadfastly up to heaven in a kind of ecstasy, produced by the 
strength of his faith, the vigour of his hope, and the ardour of his love, 
he cried out, " I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing 
on the right hand of God." And while the multitude ran upon him with 
stones, after committing his own soul to the care of his exalted Saviour, 
he cried, with a loud voice, "Lord, lay not this sin to their charge." 
Behold an apology, which was looked upon by the preachers of that day 
as replete with ignorance and fanaticism, though delivered by an evan- 
gelist who was filled with faith and power, and with the Holy Ghost ! 

The same doctrine was preached by the evangelists, who were dis- 
persed abroad by the persecution excited against Stephen, and was 
followed by the benediction of the Lord. For we find that some of them, 
entering into the city of Antioch, spake unto the Grecians there, preach- 
ing the Lord Jesus ; and the hand of the Lord was with them, so that " a 
great number believed and turned unto the Lord," Acts xi, 19, 20, 21. 

We shall go on to select a few proofs, that all the apostles were of 
one heart in this matter, preaching Jesus Christ as the Saviour of all 
those who believe in him. 

Though St. James professedly wrote his epistle against the error of 
those who had destroyed the law of charity, by an imaginary faith in 
Christ, yet so far is he from despising the substantial faith of believers, 
that, as " the servants of God, and of our Lord Jesus Christ," he exhorts 
false brethren to seek after and manifest it by its proper fruits. He even 
employs a species of irony to point out the necessity of this powerful 
grace : " Show me thy faith without thy works, and I will show thee my 
faith by my works," James ii, 18. He intimates that our faith must be 
tried by " divers temptations," in order to our becoming " perfect and 
entire" before God. Whence we learn that, according to his judgment, 
the perfection of Christians absolutely depends upon the perfection of 
their faith, James i, 2-4. On this account he exhorts us to ask wisdom 
in faith. And lastly, he declares, that the prayer of faith shall be pow- 
erful enough to procure health for the sick, and remission for the sinful, 
James v, 15. 

There needs no more than an attentive perusal of this epistle, to con- 
vince us that St. James announces a faith which saves the Christian, by 
producing in him hope, charity, and every good work. 



138 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 

The same doctrine was inculcated by St. Peter, both in his sermons 
and epistles. Three thousand souls were converted, while he cried out, 
upon the day of pentecost, " Ye men of Israel, Jesus of Nazareth, a man 
approved of God among you, by miracles, and wonders, and signs ; him, 
being delivered by the determinate counsel of God, ye have taken, and 
by wicked hands have crucified and slain. Whom God hath raised up, 
having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that he, who 
is the resurrection and the life, John xi, 25, should be holden of it. This 
Jesus, therefore, being by the right hand of God exalted, hath shed forth 
this which ye now see and hear. Therefore, let all the house of Israel 
assuredly know, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have 
crucified, both Lord and Christ." Now, when the convicted multitude 
inquired, in their distress, " Men and brethren, what shall we do ?" Peter 
answered and said, " Repent and be baptized, every one of you, [that is 
to say, first cordially believe, and then by baptism make a public con- 
fession of that faith,] in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of 
sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost," Acts ii. 

His second discourse was to the same effect. " The God of our fathers 
hath glorified his Son Jesus, whom ye delivered up and denied in the 
presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let him go. But ye 
desired a murderer to be granted unto you, and killed the Prince of life, 
whom God hath raised from the dead ; whereof we are witnesses. And 
faith in his name hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know ; yea, 
the faith which is by him hath given him this perfect soundness in the 
presence of you all. And now, brethren, repent ye, and be converted, 
that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall 
come from the presence of the Lord," Acts iii, 13—19. 

His apology before the council was founded upon the same Divine 
truths. Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that 
by the name of Jesus of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised 
from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole. 
This is the stone that was set at nought of you builders, which is become 
the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other : for 
there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we 
must be saved," Acts iv, 10, 12. Thus St. Peter, " filled with the Holy 
Ghost, spake the word of God with boldness, and with great power gave 
witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus," iv, 31, 33. Even after 
being commanded to speak no more in the name of Jesus, he departed 
from the council, rejoicing that he was counted worthy to suffer shame 
for his Master's sake, " and daily in the temple and in every house, he 
ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ," Acts v, 40, 42. 

The fourth sermon of this apostle perfectly corresponds with the fore- 
going. This discourse was delivered in the house of Cornelius, the 
centurion, to whom an angel had before revealed that Peter should 
declare unto him things whereby both himself and his house should be 
saved. Of all the sermons which have ever been preached, this was, 
perhaps, the most effectual ; since it is observed, that " the Holy Ghost 
fell on all them which heard the word." Take an abridgment of this 
powerful discourse. God hath proclaimed peace "to the children of 
Israel by Jesus Christ, whom they slew and hanged on a tree. But 
he," being raised again by the power of God, " commanded us to preach 



THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 139 

unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God 
to be the Judge of quick and dead. To him give all the prophets wit- 
ness, that whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins," 
x, 36, 43. 

And, as in his sermons, so also in his epistles, St. Peter was ever 
anxious to declare salvation through faith in the name of Jesus 
Christ. 

" Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the elect of God. Blessed be 
God, who hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection 
of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible, reserved 
in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith unto 
salvation," 1 Pet. i, 1-5. " It is contained in the Scripture, Behold, I 
lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious : and he that believeth 
on him shall not be confounded. Unto you, therefore, which be disobe- 
dient, he is made a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence," ii, 6-8. 

The second Epistle of St. Peter was written for the confirmation of 
the weak and the establishment of the strong. In the first verse, Christ 
is represented as the author and finisher of our faith : in the last, the 
glory of our salvation is expressly ascribed to the same Divine Person. 
And these two verses may be given as an abridgment of the whole 
epistle. 

This powerful faith, and this adorable Saviour, were as constantly 
proclaimed by the Apostle John. Though St. Luke has not transmitted 
to us any extracts from his discourses, yet his doctrine is sufficiently 
manifested in his epistles. 

" If any man sin," saith this favoured apostle, " we have an advocate 
with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous : and he is the propitiation 
for our sins," 1 John ii, 1,2. " He was manifested to take away our sins. 
And this is the commandment of God, that we should believe on the 
name of his Son Jesus Christ," iii, 5, 23. " Whosoever believeth, is 
born of God — whatsoever is born of God, overcometh the world : and 
this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith," v, 1, 4. 
" These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the 
Son of God, that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye 
may" yet more steadfastly believe, ver. 13. 

" Many deceivers," continues the same apostle in his second epistle, 
" have entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come 
in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. Whosoever abideth 
not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God : he that abideth in the doc- 
trine of Christ, hath both the Father and the Son," 2 John 7, 9. Here 
St. John, foreseeing the melancholy revolution that would one day be 
effected in the Church by these antichristian teachers, notwithstanding 
his natural gentleness, cries against them with a holy indignation : " If 
there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive them not 
into your house, neither bid them God speed. For he that biddeth him 
God speed, is partaker of his evil deeds," 10, 11. 

In his third epistle he expresses the utmost joy over Gaius, on account 
of his steady adherence to the truth; assuring him, that he had no 
greater joy than to hear that his children continued to walk in the truths 
of the Gospel. He commends his charity toward the people of God, 
and exhorts h.m to continue a fellow helper to the truth, by affording a 



140 THE PORTRAIT OF 8T. PAUL. 

hospitable reception to those who, with a view of spreading that truth, 
were journeying from place to place. 

St. Jude, in his short epistle, writes thus : " Beloved, when I gave all 
diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for 
me to exhort you, that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which 
was once delivered unto the saints. For there are certain men crept in 
unawares, denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ," 
Jude 3, 4. " But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy 
faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, keep yourselves in the love of God, 
looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life," 
verses 20, 21. 

The concluding book of the New Testament abounds with striking 
testimonies to the foregoing truths, and was added for the consolation 
of the Church in every age. It opens with a sublime eulogy pronounced 
upon that incomprehensible Saviour, who is " the Alpha and the Omega, 
the faithful Witness, the first begotten of the dead, and the Prince of the 
kings of the earth, who hath loved and washed us from our sins in his 
own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father, 
for ever and ever," Rev. i, 5, 6. 

The faithful, who groan in secret to behold their Master rejected by 
Deists, and neglected by the greater part of Christians, attend with holy 
transport to the representations here given by St. John. Here they per- 
ceive that condescending Saviour, who was dishonoured upon earth, 
acknowledged and adored by the hosts of heaven. They see the pros- 
trate elders, and behold the innumerable multitude of the redeemed 
assembled before the throne. They hear that new song of adoration, 
in which angels and the spirits of just men made perfect unanimously 
cry out, " Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, to receive power, and 
riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing," 
Rev. v, 12. These are scenes which the believer is assisted to realize 
by means of a lively faith, and in which he already bears an humble 
part, ascribing, with his more exalted brethren, " Blessing, and honour, 
and glory, and power, unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and untc 
the Lamb, for ever and ever," ver. 13. 

This mysterious book concludes with that short prayer of St. John, 
which shall one day be offered up with the energy of the Holy Spirit, 
by ten thousand times ten thousand of the faithful, " Come, Lord Jesus," 
fully to accomplish thy gracious promises, xxii, 20. 

If it be here inquired, " Do not all ministers maintain this Scriptural 
faith ?" I answer, It is a rare thing with the generality of ministers to 
treat on a point of so vast importance : and even when they are heard 
to speak of this mighty grace, they represent it as something manifestly 
different from that living faith by which we are regenerated. If ever 
they discourse with their catechumens on this subject, they speak as men 
who attempt to teach what they have yet to learn. They frequently 
repeat the word faith, but are unable to open its spiritual signification. 
They take it for granted that all their neighbours are possessed of this 
grace, except those who openly rejected the word of God ; and thus they 
become perfectly satisfied with that species of faith against which St. 
Paul and St. James were authorized to denounce the anathemas of the 
Gospel On this account, one of the last texts a worldly pastor would 



THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 141 

make choice of, is that solemn exhortation of the apostle, " Examine 
yourselves, whether ye be in the faith : prove your own selves : know 
ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be 
reprobates ?" 2 Cor. xiii, 5. The faith with which he contents himself, 
and which he publishes to others, may be equally possessed by those who 
are conformable to this present evil world, and those who " have cruci- 
fied the flesh with the affections and lusts," Gal. v, 24. It belongs to 
self- exalting Pharisees, who boast of their own righteousness, as well 
as to those humble believers who count themselves unworthy of the 
benefits they have received. 

Farther : so far is the ill -instructed minister from preaching the true 
faith, that he is always prepared to plead against it. In confirmation 
of this melancholy truth, take the following relation : — 

A believer, whose circumstances frequently engaged him in conversa- 
tion with a worldly man of his neighbourhood, once took occasion to 
offer him such advice as brotherly charity suggested. After the cus- 
tomary civilities, Sir, said he, we have lived as neighbours long enough 
to know one another ; and, I presume, the intimacy of our acquaintance 
authorizes us to speak to each other without any reserve. It has given 
me real satisfaction to observe your constant attendance at our church, 
and your strict attention to her most solemn services. Nevertheless, 
permit me to express my fears that you are not seeking the kingdom of 
God with that earnestness and solicitude without which it can never be 
obtained. Though you are constant at church, yet you are as constant 
at tables of festivity ; and an approaching entertainment appears to 
afford you greater pleasure than an approaching sacrament. I regularly 
observe the gazette upon your table, with a variety of new and ingenious 
publications ; but I have never found you perusing the sacred pages of a 
more important volume. I have heard you speak in an agreeable man- 
ner upon twenty different things ; but cannot recollect that your conver- 
sation ever turned upon what our Lord has described as " the one thing 
needful," Luke x, 42. In short, sir, I apprehend, from your conduct, 
that you are altogether unacquainted with evangelical faith ; and if so, 
your hope is as fallacious as your devotion is Pharisaical. 

Neighbour. I am obliged, sir, by the interest you appear to take in 
my salvation ; but allow me to say, with Solomon, " There is a time for 
all things." 

Believer. Yes, sir ; for all that is good. But, if you really believe 
there is a time for all things, is it not amazing, that after you have found 
four seasons in every day convenient for eating and drinking in your 
family, you should find no proper opportunity, through the whole course 
of a week, to pour out your prayers with that family before God 1 

N. It is true, I do not pique myself upon my piety : and I will con- 
fess to you, that I frequent the church and the holy communion, rather 
out of decency than choice. But, notwithstanding this, my faith is as 
orthodox as that of my neighbours. We all believe in God as our 
Creator, and in Christ as our Redeemer, except some few persons, who 
glory in trampling all revelation under foot. For my own part, I have 
never erred from the faith since I first became acquainted with the 
apostles' creed : and that was so early in life, that I cannot now recol- 
lect who first instructed me in it. 



142 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. TAUL, 

B. It seems, then, neighbour, that you imbibed your faith as you 
drew in your nurse's milk : and you have learned to believe in Christ, 
rather than in Mohammed, because you happened to be taught the 
English rather than the Turkish language. 

N. That may be. However, if I had been a Mohammed, I trust I 
might also have been an honest man. I give to every one his due. 
This is the grand principle upon which I have always acted, and from 
this I leave every rational man to form a judgment of my faith. 

B. Ah, sir ! if such are the principles by which your conduct is regu- 
lated, then make a full surrender of your heart to God, and consecrate 
to his service those powers of body and soul which you have received 
from his bounty, and to which he has so just a title. But, alas ! without 
piety, your strict justice is like the fidelity of a subject, who fulfils his 
engagements with a few particular persons, while he withholds the 
homage due to his rightful sovereign. If such a subject can be termed 
faithful, then may you, with propriety, be accounted just, while you offer 
not to God that tribute of love, gratitude, adoration, and obedience, which 
is your reasonable service. You made a confession but now, that you 
piqued not yourself upon your piety : it would not have astonished me 
more had you said, that you piqued not yourself upon paying your debts, 
and acting with common honesty in the world. Alas, sir, your boasted 
principles do but confirm the fears to which your conduct had given rise. 
I entreat you, in the most solemn manner, " to examine yourself, whe- 
ther you be in the faith." 

N. What do you call faith ? 

B. The Scriptures teach us, that we must believe with the heart, and 
that " faith is the substance of things hoped for, and the evidence of 
things not seen," Heb. xi, 1. He, therefore, who truly believes in the 
Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, carries" within him a lively demon- 
stration of the Almighty's presence, which penetrates him with sentiments 
of fear, respect, and love, for a Being so powerful, just, and good : he pos- 
sesses an internal evidence of the affection of that Redeemer upon whom 
alone he grounds his hope of salvation, saluting him, with Nathanael, as 
"the Son of God, the King of Israel," John i, 49 : and he discovers in his 
own heart the most indisputable testimonies of the sanctifying and con- 
soling operations of the Holy Spirit. Now, from this threefold demon- 
stration he is enabled to say, with suitable sentiments of gratitude and 
devotion, " Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon 
us, that we should be called the sons of God," 1 John iii, 1. "He hath 
made us accepted in the Beloved, in whom we have redemption through 
his blood, the forgiveness of sins," Eph. i, 6, 7 ; and " the Spirit itself 
beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God," Rom. 
viii, 16. Tell me, then, since you boast of having received the Christian 
faith, have you ever experienced those salutary effects of faith, which I 
have now described '.' 

N. If that demonstration, and that lively representation of which you 
speak, are essential to Christian faith, I must confess that to such a faith 
I am a perfect stranger. But the writings of St. Paul, whose definition 
of faith you have just cited, are generally looked upon as remarkably 
dark and mysterious ; I wish you had rather quoted St. John. 

B. I doubt, sir, whether you will gain any thing by such an appeal- 



THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAVl». 143 

" Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ," saith St. John, " is 
born of God. This is the victory that overcometh the world, even our 
faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that 
Jesus is the Son of God?" 1 John v, 1-5. You perceive, sir, that, ac- 
cording to this apostle, faith is a principle of grace and power suffi- 
ciently forcible and victorious to regenerate and make us partakers of 
the Divine nature, enabling us to triumph equally over the most seducing, 
as well as the most afflicting occurrences in the world. Have you ob- 
tained, or have you even sought the faith of which such excellent things 
are spoken. 

N. You embarrass me. I never heard the least intimation of such a 
faith in this country. 

B. Indeed, sir, you are in an error, since this very faith is plainly set 
forth in the sixteenth chapter of the Helvetic Confession. " The Chris- 
tian faith," say the pious ministers who composed that work, " is not a 
mere human opinion or persuasion, but a state of full assurance : it not 
only gives a constant and clear assent to, but also comprehends and 
embraces the truths of God, as proposed to us in the apostles' creed. 
The soul, by this act, unites itself to God, as to its only, eternal, and 
sovereign good, and to Jesus Christ as the centre of all the promises." 
Have you, then, tins Divine persuasion, this full assurance of the truths 
of our holy religion ? And have you experienced this act, by which the 
soul is united to God, through Christ, as to its sovereign good ? 

N. I have, undoubtedly, a persuasion that the word of God is true. 
But how may I absolutely determine, whether or no I am a possessor 
of the faith of which you speak 1 

B. If you are possessed of faith, you have some experimental know- 
ledge of those happy effects of that grace, which are thus enumerated 
in the same confession : " True faith restores peace to the conscience. 
It procures a free access to God, enabling us both to approach him with 
confidence, and to obtain from him the things which we need. It 
retains us in the path of obedience, enduing us with power to fulfil our 
several duties both to God and our neighbour. It maintains our patience 
in adversity, and disposes us, at all times, to a sincere confession of our 
confidence. To sum up all in a single word, it produces every good 
work." "Let it be observed," says the same confession, "that we do 
not here speak of a pretended faith, which is vain, ineffectual, and dead, 
but of a living, effectual, and vivifying faith. This is a doctrine which 
St. James cannot be understood to combat, seeing he speaks of a vain 
and presumptuous confidence, of which some were known to boast, 
while they had not Christ living in them by means of faith." 

N. " Christ living in them by means of faith !" I pray, sir, what is to 
be understood by this expression ? I do not comprehend the thing. But, 
if I recollect, I shall have an opportunity, in a few hours, of mentioning 
the matter to our pastor, whom I expect here this evening to make up a 
party at cards. The true believer, after thanking his worldly neighbour 
for the patience with which he had listened to his conversation, took his 
leave and withdrew, apprehending every evil consequence from the de- 
cision of a pastor who was known to indulge a taste for play and vain 
amusement. His fears were too well founded. The minister, true to 
his engagement, arrived at the appointed hour, and the gentleman thus 



144 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 

eagerly addressed him : " I have been receiving some singular advice 
from a person of a very unaccountable turn, who appears to agree eithei 
with the Mystics or the Pietists. He spoke much of faith, asserting that 
all true Christians are really regenerate, and that they have Christ living 
in them by faith. What think you, sir, of such assertions as these V 
« I will tell you freely," replied the minister, " that these abstruse points 
of doctrine are among those profound mysteries, which neither you nor 
I are appointed to fathom. It is usual with enthusiasts to speak in this 
manner : but such mystic jargon is now out of season. There have 
been ages in which divines were accustomed to speculate concerning 
this faith, and publicly to insist upon it in their sermons. But, in an age 
like this, enlightened by sound philosophy and learned discoveries, we 
no longer admit what we cannot comprehend. I advise you, as a friend, 
to leave these idle subtilties close shut up in the unintelligible volumes 
of our ancient theologists. The only material thing is to conduct our- 
selves as honest men. If we receive revelation in a general sense, and 
have good works to produce, there can be no doubt but that our faith is 
of a proper kind, and highly acceptable before God." To this short 
discourse the card table succeeded, which served to strengthen the bands 
of intimacy between our careless clergyman and his deluded neighbour : 
so perfectly alike were their faith and their manners. 

The circumstances alluded to in the above relation are not imaginary ; 
and there is every reason to fear, that circumstances of the same nature 
are no less common in other Christian countries, than in that which 
gave birth to the writer of these pages. 

Thus the worldly minister, instead of preaching this important doc- 
trine in its purity, seeks to destroy even the curiosity which would 
engage an irreligious man to inquire into the necessity, the nature, the 
origin, and the effects of evangelical faith. And while the generality 
of those who are required to publish this victorious grace are seen to 
reject it with contempt, no wonder that the true minister esteems himself 
obliged to contend for it, with increasing earnestness, both in public and 
private, Jude 3. 

To close this section. When the Christian minister proclaims salva- 
tion by faith, he adheres, not only to the Holy Scriptures, but also to 
those public confessions of faith, which are in common use among the 
Churches of Christ. " We believe," say the Churches of France, "that 
every thing necessary to our salvation was revealed and offered to us 
in Christ, who is made unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, 
and redemption," Art. xiii. " We believe that we are made partakers 
of righteousness by faith alone ; since it is said, that he [Christ] suffered 
in order to procure salvation for us, and that whosoever believeth in him 
shall not perish," Art. xx. " We believe that, by this faith, we are 
regenerated to newness of life, being by nature in bondage to sin. So 
that faith, instead of cooling in us the desire of living righteously and 
godly, naturally tends to excite such desire, and necessarily produces 
every good work," Art. xxii. 

Such also is the doctrine of the Helvetic Confession : " We believe, 
with St. Paul, that sinful man is justified by faith alone in Jesus Christ, 
and not by the law. Faith receives Jesus, who is our righteousness ; 
and on this account justification is attributed to faith. That by means 



THE PORTRAIT OF STi PAUL, 145 

of faith we receive Jesus Christ, he himself has taught us in the Gospel, 
where he significantly uses the terms applied to eating for believing : 
for, as by eating we receive bodily nourishment, so by believing we are 
made partakers of Christ," chap. xv. " Man is not regenerated by faith, 
that he should continue in a state of indolence, but rather that he should 
apply himself, without ceasing, to the performance of those things which 
are useful and good : since the Lord hath said, ' Every good tree bringeth 
forth good fruit,' Matt, vii, 19 : 'he that abideth in me, and I in him, the 
same bringeth forth much fruit,' John xv, 6." 

The Church of England expresses herself in the following terms upon 
salvation by faith, and the good works produced by that faith : — " We 
are accounted righteous before God only for the merit of our Lord and 
Saviour Jesus Christ, by faith, and not for our own works and deservings. 
Wherefore, that we are justified by faith only is a most wholesome doc- 
trine, and very full of comfort," Art. xi. " Good works do spring out 
necessarily of a true and lively faith, insomuch that by them a lively 
faith may be* as evidently known, as a tree discerned by the fruit*" 
Art. xii. 



The true minister goes on to announce a lively hope. 

" Godliness with contentment is great gain," 1 Tim. vi, 6. And the 
pastor, who is possessed of so invaluable a blessing, cannot be backward 
in soliciting all, within the circle of his acquaintance, to share it with 
him. Happy in the enjoyment of that precious secret, which enables 
him to rejoice without ceasing, he readily communicates it to the afflicted, 
by leading them to that lively hope which consoles and sustains the heart 
of every believer. 

In a word, where the bitterness of evil is continually increasing ; 
where we discover the scourges of a God, who will not fail to chastise 
his rebellious creatures ; where disappointment and death successively 
deprive us of our dearest comforts, and where the forerunners of death 
are continually weakening all our imperfect enjoyments; in such a 
world, it is evident, that the most exalted pleasure we are Capable of, 
must spring from a well-grounded hope of those immortal joys which 
are reserved for the righteous. The language of mortality is too feeble 
to describe either the power or the sweetness of such a hope. Here 
we can only cry out with the psalmist, " O taste, and see how gracious 
the Lord is," Psalm xxxiv, 8, in providing so potent a cordial for those 
who are travelling through a vale of tears. 

The lively hope which gives birth to a believer's felicity, is one of the 
most exhilarating fruits of his faith, and is inseparably connected with it, 
since " true faith is the substance of things hoped for." In proportion 
as the truths and promises, upon which faith is founded* are evidenced 
and apprehended, such will be the hope with which that faith is accom- 
panied. If Moses then* by the faith which he professed, was enabled to 
renounce the prospect of an earthly crown, with the hope of obtaining 
a more glorious inheritance ; if he esteemed " the reproach of Christ 
greater riches than the treasures of Egypt* having respect unto the 
recompense of reward," Heb< xi, 26 ; what may not be expected from 

Vol. III. 10 



146 THE rORTKAIT OF ST. PAUL. 

a hope founded upon those precious promises, which have been sealed 
with the blood of that condescending Saviour, who " brought life and 
immortality to light through the Gospel?" 2 Tim. i, 10. "The law," 
saith the apostle, " made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better 
hope did ; by the which we draw nigh unto God," Heb. vii, 19. " See- 
ing then that we have such hope," continues the same apostle, " we 
all, with open face, beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are 
changed into the same image, from glory to glory," 2 Cor. iii, 12, 18. 

We every day observe the men of the world exulting in the hope of 
some temporal advantage. The prospect of an honourable title, an aug- 
mentation of fortune, an advantageous marriage, or even a poor party 
of pleasure, is sufficient to allure, to animate, to enrapture them. They 
will even acknowledge, that the flattering hope of future pleasure is 
sweeter than enjoyment itself. Who then shall attempt to declare those 
transports which flow from the lively hope of a triumphing Christian? 
A hope which is founded upon the Rock of ages, and which has, for its 
multifarious object, riches, honours, and pleasures, as mueh superior to 
those of worldly men, as the soul is superior to the body, heaven to earth, 
and eternity to the present fleeting moment. 

The true minister publicly announces this hope to the world 3 persuaded 
that, if mankind were once happy enough to possess it, they would ex- 
change a load of misery for a prospect of blessedness. But since he 
knows that this hope can never be admitted into hearts replete with sin, 
his first concern is to .overthrow the vain confidence of the impenitent, 
to undermine the presumption of the Pharisaical, and to point out the 
true distinction between a sinner's groundless expectation, and the well- 
founded hope of a believer in Christ. 

In every place there are many to be found, who, without " evangeli- 
cal faith or hope," are filled with a presumption as blind as that of the 
Pharisees, and as fatal as that of heathens hardened in their sin. To 
every such person, the true minister uniformly declares that he is " with- 
out Christ, without hope, and without God in the world," Eph. ii, 12. 
These very men, it is probable, may offer to the Deity a formal wor- 
ship, and indulge high expectations from the mercy of a Divine Media- 
tor, though they are totally destitute of an unfeigned " repentance toward 
God, and a true faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ," Acts xx, 21. 
Thus far the unconverted may proceed in a seemingly religious course. 
But the regenerate alone can truly say, " The grace of God that bringeth 
salvation hath appeared unto all men, teaching us, that denying ungod- 
liness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, 
in this present world : looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious 
appearing of the great God, and our Saviour Jesus Christ," Tit. ii, 11—13. 

The hope of unrighteous men is founded upon pride, false notions of 
the Deity, ignorance of his law, and upon those prejudices, which the 
irreligious communicate one to another. On the contrary, the hope of 
believers has, for its basis, the word of Him " who cannot lie," Tit. i, 2. 
" Whatsoever things were written aforetime," saith the apostle, " were 
written for our learning, that we [the children of God] through patience 
and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope," Rom. xv, 4. It is 
founded not only upon the word, but equally upon the oath of God. 

Men verily swear by the greater ; and an oath for confirmation is to 



THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL* 147 

them an end of all strife. Wherein God, willing more abundantly to 
show unto the heirs of the promise the immutability of his counsel, con- 
firmed it by an oath : that by two immutable things, in which it was 
impossible for God to lie, [namely, his word and his oath,] we might have 
strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope 
set before us : which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure 
and steadfast," Heb. vi, 16-19. 

When the faithful minister has rooted up every false hope, he then 
announces Jesus Christ, who hath brought in a better hope than that of 
heathens or Jews. Observe here the reason why those pastors who 
preach not. Christ are incapable of doing any thing toward the further- 
ance of that living faith, of which Christ is the grand object, and that 
lively hope, of which he is the inexhaustible source. " Jesus Christ," 
saith St* Paul, " is our hope," 1 Tim. i, 1 : and we declare unto you 
"the mystery, which hath been hid from ages," and is still hidden from 
worldly men, "which is Christ in you, the hope of glory." Thus the 
everlasting Son of the Father is made to his true followers the beginning 
and the consummation of hope, as well as " the author and finisher of 
faith," Heb. xii, 2. 

By the mercy of God, and through the redemption that is in Jesus* 
Christ, the believer has already received the promise of a free pardon for 
past offences ; otherwise he deserves not to be termed a believer : at 
least, he is destitute of evangelical faith. Now, when the believer sin- 
cerely receives the glad tidings of redeeming grace, he then assuredly 
receives Jesus Christ, in whom " all the promises are yea and Amen," 
2 Cor. i, 20 ; and he would conduct himself in a manner contrary to 
that which both reason and Scripture prescribe, if he should refuse to 
rejoice in God his Saviour. By such a mode of acting, he would prove 
his want of gratitude for that which Christ hath already done, and of 
hope for that which he hath promised still to perform. But when he 
gives himself up to a joy, as reasonable as it is refreshing, he then 
answers the gracious designs of his benevolent Lord. Continually taken 
up with more satisfactory enjoyments, he despises the seducing pleasures 
of sin. He carries in his own bosom a source of celestial pleasure, 
while the man of the world disquiets his heart in the vain pursuit of 
earthly joys. The difference between the enjoyments of these two cha* 
racters is as great as between the rational pleasures of those who gather 
their wheat into the barn, and the puerile mirth of children, who are 
busied in collecting the scattered straws and thorns; the former are 
securing an inestimable treasure, while the latter have nothing more in 
view, than to dance round a short-lived blaze, the truest emblem of a 
sinner's satisfaction. 

In the Holy Scriptures very excellent things are spoken of the hope 1 
which produces this sacred joy. (1.) It is a Divine hope, since it has 
for its object the enjoyment of God, and because it draws supplies of 
strength from that Holy Spirit which discovers to believers the greatness 
and stability of Gospel promises. Thus St. Paul teacheth us that "the 
Father of glory giveth us the Spirit of wisdom and revelation : enlighten- 
ing the eyes of our understanding, that we may know what is the hope 
of our calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance among 
the saints," Eph. i, 17, 18. 



148 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 

2. It gives honour to the faithfulness and power of God. Abraham, 
saith St. Paul, against all human probability, believing " in hope, stag- 
gered not at the promise ; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God ; 
being fully persuaded, that what he had promised he was able also to 
oerform," Rom. iv, 18-21. " Therefore, being justified," like Abraham, 
" by faith, we rejoice," continues the apostle, with a confidence like his, 
" in hope of the glory of God. And this hope maketh not ashamed," 
Rom. v, 1-5. How unlike the fallacious hope of worldly men, who are 
frequently put to shame by their blasted expectations ! 

3. This hope is said to fill us with a holy joy. " Blessed be the God 
and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ," saith St. Peter, " who hath begot- 
ten us again to a lively hope, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from 
the dead. Wherein ye greatly rejoice," 1 Pet. i, 3, 6. And on this 
account it was, that the Apostle Paul prayed with so much ardour for 
an increase of hope among believers. " Now the God of hope fill you 
with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope through 
the power of the Holy Ghost," Rom. xv, 13. 

4. It actually saves us, as St. Paul himself declares in the following 
words : " I reckon that the sufferings of the present time are not worthy 
to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. And," 
supported by this sweet persuasion, " we wait for the adoption, to wit, 
the redemption of our body. For," in this respect, " we are saved by 
hope," Rom. viii, 18, 24. 

5. It is equally sweet and solid ; since it rests upon the right which 
the children of God may claim to the inheritance of their heavenly 
Father ; a sacred right, which is confirmed to them with the utmost 
solemnity in the New Testament. Now every man who receives, with 
sincerity, the Lord of life and glory, receives with him a title to everlast- 
ing possessions, and ranks, from that moment, among " the sons of God," 
John i, 12. So that to such the following passages may, with propriety, 
be applied : " He hath made us accepted in the Beloved — in whom ye 
also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the Gospel of your 
salvation : in whom also, after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that 
Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance, until the 
redemption of the purchased possession," Eph. i, 6, 12, 14. 

6. It purifies us. " Now are we," saith St. John, " the sons of God, 
and it doth not yet appear what we shall be ; but we know, that when he 
shall appear, we shall be like him ; for we shall see him as he is. And 
every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is 
pure. Whosoever is born of God [or regenerated by a true faith and a 
lively hope] doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him; and 
he cannot sin, because he is born of God," 1 John iii, 2, 3, 9. The truth 
of this assertion is clear to the eye of reason. We fall into sin, because 
we suffer ourselves to be seduced by the allurements of some transitory 
good, which presents itself either to our senses or imagination. But 
when we are once persuaded that infinite enjoyments await us, we can 
then look with contempt upon those deceitful appearances ; and after our 
hearts are animated with a confident hope of possessing those invisible 
realities, the charm of sin is broken. In such a state, we break through 
temptations with as much resolution as a prince who is going to take 
possession of a kingdom, renounces the little amusements that occupied 



THE PORTBAIT OP ST. PAUL. 149 

his thoughts before they were engrossed by a concern of so vast import- 
ance. " Who is he that overcometh the world," but the man who be- 
lieves with that faith which affords him a lively representation of things 
hoped for? Compare 1 John v, 5, with Heb. xi, 1. 

7. This lively hope produces charity in the souL " We give thanks 
to God," saith the apostle, " praying always for you, since we heard 
of the love which ye have to all the saints; for the hope which is laid 
up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the 
truth of the Gospel," Col. i, 3-5. Nay, of so prevailing an influence 
is this solid hope, that the apostle intimates, in the same chapter, that 
believers shall be presented before God, holy and unblamable, provided 
they be not " moved away from the hope of the Gospel," Verses 22, 23. 
" For," continues he, " we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold 
the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end," Heb. iii, 14. 
" And we desire that every one of you do show the same diligence to 
the full assurance of hope unto the end : that ye be not slothful, but fol- 
lowers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises," 
Heb. vi, 11, 12. 

8. This hope is full of consolation. " We who remain," saith the 
apostle, " shall be caught up to meet the Lord in the air, and so shall we 
ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these 
words," 1 Thess. v, 17, 18. "Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and 
God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting 
consolation and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts," 2 Thess. 
ii, 16, 17. When we observe among us some who are disquieted and 
cast down, who want courage to support affliction without impatience, 
and to fill up their duties with cheerfulness, we then behold persons who 
never enjoyed, or who have unhappily lost, the lively hope of true Chris- 
tians. If all ministers of the Gospel had experienced the sweetness and 
power of this hope, with what pleasure would they publish it to the 
afflicted ! And with what perseverance would they join to their dis- 
courses the most ardent prayers, that all their hearers might come to the 
enjoyment of so invaluable a blessing ! 

When the true minister leads his flock to this lively and joyful hope, 
he treads in the footsteps of his Divine Master. Christ, it is true, began 
his ministry by preaching repentance, Matt, iv, 17. But immediately 
after we find him placing before the believer's eye beatitudes and pro- 
mises of the most consolatory nature, verse 1, &c. In a vast variety of 
affecting passages, he exhorts his followers to the exercise of a joyful 
hope in the severest trials, making that an indispensable duty, which is 
indeed a glorious privilege. " Fear not them," saith he, " which are 
not able to kill the soul. Whosoever shall confess me before men, him 
will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven," Matt, x, 28, 32. 
" Fear not, little flock ; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you 
the kingdom," Luke xii, 31. "I give unto my sheep eternal life, and 
they shall never perish, neither shall any pluck them out of my hands," 
John x, 27, 28. 

He appears anxious that his people should be partakers of his peace, 
his joy, and his hope, till they come to the possession of consummate 
blessedness. " These things have I spoken," saith he, " that in me ye 
might have peace. In the world ve shall have tribulation ; but be of 



150 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL, 

good cheer : I have overcome the world," John xvi, 33. " Let not your 
heart be troubled. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go to 
prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself, 
that where I am there may ye be also," xiv, 1-3. " Ye now have sor- 
row : but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your 
joy no man taketh from you," John xvi, 22. He exhorts them continually 
to expect his return, Luke xii, 40, and even condescends to mention the 
very terms in which he will, at that time, salute every waiting believer. 

The prayers of Christ, as well as his exhortations and promises, tend 
to produce and support the most exalted hope in the souls of believers. 
He has graciously interceded for them ; he still continues to make inter- 
cession, and his prayer is always prevalent. Mark a few sentences of 
that memorable prayer, which he once offered up for all his followers, 
and which forms the seventeenth chapter of St. John's Gospel. " O 
Father ! I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given 
me. Holy Father ! keep, through thine own name, those whom thou 
hast given me, and sanctify them through thy truth. Neither pray I for 
these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their 
word ; that they may all be one, even as we are one. Father ! I will 
that they whom thou hast given me be with me where I am, that they 
may behold my glory." 

A lively hope, founded upon these prayers and declarations of the 
blessed Jesus, enabled the primitive Christians to triumph over every 
affliction. In the midst of the most terrible persecutions they could con- 
gratulate one another on their common blessedness, and say, " Our life 
is hid with Christ in God. And when Christ, who is our life, shall appear, 
then shall we also appear with him in glory," Col. iii, 4. For " he shall 
yet come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that 
believe," 2 Thess. i, 10. 

The apostles, agreeable to the example of their Master, were unani- 
mous in publishing this glorious hope ; and St. Paul very frequently 
insists upon it, as a most important duty. "Let us," saith he, " who are 
of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and for 
a helmet the hope of salvation," 1 Thess. v, 8. " I beseech you, brethren, 
present your bodies a living sacrifice unto God — rejoicing in hope," 
Rom. xii, 1, 12. '* Rejoice in the Lord alway, and again I say, rejoice," 
Phil, iv, 4. This evangelical hope will ever be experienced, as a never 
failing source of consolation and thankfulness ; and hence, wherever the 
hope of the Gospel is preached, there believers continue to be filled with 
unspeakable joy, Acts xiii, 52. How truly happy would Christians be 
were such a hope to flourish among them ! Far from disputing an} 
longer for the trifles of time and sense, they would joyfully renounce them 
all, in expectation of an eternal inheritance ; and instead of running to 
the frivolous amusements of the world for a momentary recreation, every 
passing day would appear too short for the exhilarating duties of praise 
and thanksgiving. 

It is asserted by many, that this Divine hope is usually insisted upon 
by every minister. That preachers in general are accustomed to exhort 
their hearers, in a cold and languid manner, to hope in the Divine mercy, 
will readily be granted. But that such do not publish the real, evan- 
gelical hope of Christians, may be easily proved beyond the possibility 



THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 151 

of a doubt. We have seen, in the preceding sections, that the minister 
of the present day is unacquainted with this hope ; that he is even without 
any just ideas of that true repentance, and that living faith, from which 
alone this hope can flow. And hence it is impossible for him, in the 
nature of things, to publish it in the Church of God. In vain has Christ 
himself declared that the broad way will eonduct multitudes to destruc- 
tion, and that " except a man be born again, he cannot enter into the 
kingdom of God," John iii, 5. In spite of these solemn declarations, 
the worldly pastor still imagines that this very way will conduct him to 
life, and that he shall be counted among the inhabitants of that kingdom 
without Scriptural regeneration. He supposes, at least, that he is suffi- 
ciently sanctified, though his righteousness exceeds not that of the Pha- 
risees, nor his devotion that of the Laodicean Church. Thus, entertaining 
a vain hope in his own heart, and indulging a confidence which is 
repugnant to the concurrent testimonies of every sacred writer, he neces- 
sarily leads his hearers into the same dangerous delusions. 

As in order solidly to found our hopes upon a benefactor, or a surety, 
it is necessary to have an acquaintance with the person who presents 
himself in either of these characters, so the lively hope of which we 
speak must flow from an experimental knowledge of God, by Jesus 
Christ. " This is eternal life, that they may know thee, the only true 
God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent," John xvii, 3. But the 
children of this world, whether they be laymen or ecclesiastics, are des- 
titute of this knowledge. They know neither the Father nor the Son ; 
and were it otherwise, the love of the world would not have dominion 
aver them. 

This livery hope can never dwell in an uftregenerate heart. The 
child that is not born cannot possibly rejoice in hope of possessing the 
heritage of his father ; since he is equally unacquainted with his parent, 
and the patrimony that is likely to be reserved for him. It is, therefore, 
absolutely necessary to be born of God, before we can exercise this 
exhilarating hope. Now a man is thus born when he is regenerated by 
that spirit of adoption, which God hath promised to those who sincerely 
believe in Jesus Christ. But they who are conformable to the maxims 
of the world are not able to receive this vivifying spirit. " I will pray 
the Father," said Christ to his disciples, " and he shall give you another 
Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever, even the Spirit of truth, 
whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth 
him ; but [being already regenerated in part] ye know him ; for he 
dwelleth with you, and shall be in you," when you are fully born of the 
Spirit, John xiv, 16, 17. It is not till after the accomplishment of this 
promise has been experienced, that the following expressions can be 
fully understood : " Know ye not that your body is the temple of the 
Holy Ghost?" 1 Cor. vi, 19. "Now the God of hope fill you with all 
joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the 
power of the Holy Ghost," Rom. xv, 13. 

Far from preaching this primitive hope, the worldly minister is alarmed 
at the bare mention of it. Let it here be observed again, that this celes- 
tial plant can flourish only in those hearts where the word of God, sharper 
than any two-edged sword, has cut down every unfruitful appearance of 
Pharisaical hope. Now when a true minister is engaged in performing 



152 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUI,. 

this preparatory work, cutting away the mortified members of the old 
man, and plucking from pride its unprofitable supports, the inexperienced 
minister preposterously takes offence at his holy zeal, and censures this 
necessary severity, as leading souls into the horrors of despair. Slow of 
understanding in spiritual concerns, he comprehends not that they who 
recline upon a broken reed must give up all the confidence they foolishly 
place in so slender a prop, before they can effectually choose the Rock 
of ages for their support. 

The true character of these false apostles is not generally known. 
Covering their impiety with the cloak of religion, they are supposed by 
many to act on the part of Christ, and are frequently esteemed as pillars 
in the Church. But there are occasions on which they unwittingly throw 
off the mask, and make an open discovery of their secret thoughts. Some 
few persons are found in the world, who, refusing to attend card assem- 
blies, rejoice to be present in those less polite assemblies which are 
formed for the purpose of prayer. Here it is usual for consenting neigh- 
bours to take sweet counsel together, and wrestle with ardour for the 
hope of the Gospel, in words like these : " Gracious Father ! forgive the 
sins of thy returning children, and grant us an increase of spiritual 
strength. Sensible of our own unworthiness, assist us to place all our 
confidence in thy unbounded mercy, manifested through Jesus Christ. 
Increase our faith in the Son of thy love, and confirm our hope in thine 
unchangeable promises. O thou Divine Saviour ! descend this day into 
our hearts, as thou didst once descend upon thy first disciples. Conse- 
crate us thy living temples, fill us with thy graces, and, during the time 
of our earthly pilgrimage, vouchsafe to lead us with the right hand of 
thy power. Let not thy Spirit of illumination and holiness, thy Spirit of 
consolation and joy, abandon us for a moment, as we pass through this 
valley of tears. May its potent operations subdue in us the power of sin, 
and produce in our outward conversation the happy fruits of righteous- 
ness, peace, and joy. Permit us, at this time, to return to our houses 
with a consciousness of thy love, and an assurance of thy favour ; and 
grant that, after having been the temples of thy Spirit upon earth, we 
may one day be received into the temple of thine eternal glory in the 
heavens." 

A worldly minister, on a certain time, entering into an assembly of 
this kind, heard the prayer of these humble believers ; and, as much sur- 
prised to see the ardour with which they offered their petitions, as to 
observe the time and place in which they were presented, withdrew from 
their society, with as much indignation as a good pastor would retire 
from a company of jugglers. But having understood that one of his own 
parishioners was of the religious party, he took the earliest opportunity 
of testifying the utmost disapprobation of his conduct. " What was it," 
said he, " that you was doing with those people the other day, in such a 
place ? Conventicles of that kind are contrary to order, and unworthy 
of toleration. The church is the only proper place for the performance 
of Divine worship. Moreover, I heard you foolishly praying for I know 
not what consolation, light, and power, of the Holy Spirit. Receive in 
good part the advice I offer you. Look upon inspirations and illumina- 
tions of this sort as no other than the idle fancies of visionaries and 
enthusiasts. Renounce the imaginary assurance, with which you do but 



THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 153 

deceive yourself, and repose upon the hope which I have constantly 
preached to you ; a hope with which you, and your neighbours, may 
yery well rest contented." Confounded with a discourse of this kind, a 
weak and inexperienced Christian might have been drawn aside from the 
narrow path of truth. But the person here alluded to, by citing Eph. i, 
17, 18, was enabled to prove that the very same illumination and power, 
which were treated so contemptuously by his opponent, were nevertheless 
absolutely necessary, as the groundwork of a solid hope. Nay, he pushed 
the matter still farther ; and asserted, that the prayer against which the 
zealous pastor had so angrily exclaimed, was used in exact conformity 
to those very petitions which he himself was incessantly heard to offer 
at the feast of pentecost, and at other solemn seasons. 

If this little relation faithfully describes the manner of thinking which 
is too common among the clergy of the day, is it not evident that they 
are more disposed to ridicule than to preach the Christian hope : and 
abundantly more earnest to obstruct, than to farther their parishioners in 
the pursuit of everlasting blessedness ? 

When the dawn of this glorious hope first began to glimmer ; when, 
at the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole company of disciples 
began to praise God with a loud voice, strewing the way by which their 
Lord was to pass with garments and branches of trees, and crying out 
before him, " Hosanna to the Son of David : blessed is he that cometh 
in the name of the Lord : hosanna in the highest !" Some of the Phari- 
sees, who had mixed among the multitude, rudely exclaimed, " Master, 
rebuke thy disciples." And when he had entered into the temple, "the 
chief priests and scribes [those models by which the generality of minis- 
ters seem anxious to form themselves] seeing the wonderful things that 
he did, and the children crying Hosanna, were sore displeased, and said 
unto him, Hearest thou what these say ?" And Jesus answered them, 
" Yea ; have ye never read, Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings 
thou hast perfected praise 1 I tell you, that if these should hold their 
peace, the stones would immediately cry out," Matt, xxi ; Luke xix. 
There still exists the same opposition between those who cordially 
embrace the Gospel, and those who ungratefully reject it. As often as 
the former are perceived to give a loose to the transports of their grati- 
tude, rejoicing in hope of the glory of God, the worldly minister, dis- 
pleased to observe any thing that appears to reproach his own lukewarm- 
ness, is prepared to stifle the motions of that joyful hope, which he 
deems no better than the confidence of presumptuous fanatics. While 
the faithful minister, who imitates St. Paul, on observing such a scene, 
will cry out with that great apostle, "Now the God of hope fill you with 
all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope through the 
power of the Holy Ghost," Rom. xv, 13. 

If penitents are not pointed to the blessedness of this hope, they will 
strive, like Cain, to stifle their remorse by passionately abandoning them- 
selves to the business and enjoyments of the present world : or, like the 
Israelites, who found not sufficient pleasure in religion to banish the 
recollection of Egypt's vanities, they will indulge that spirit of trifling 
which the apostle thus desciibes : " The people sat down to eat and 
drink, and rose up to play," 1 Cor. x, 7. On the contrary, when the 
Christian is directed to the hope of his high calling, he finds it a source 



154 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 

of unutterable consolation, and having discovered the treasure hidden ir 
the Gospel field, " for joy thereof he selleth his all," in order to pur- 
chase that field. He now renounces, without pain, what before had 
hindered him in running the heavenly race, counting nothing dear to 
himself, that he may finish his course with joy, and insure the crown of 
everlasting life. So powerfully were the first Christians supported by 
this Gospel hope, that they remained immovable amidst the sorest 
calamities of life, and suffered death itself with a courage that astonished 
the persecutors. But when they lost their confidence, like Demas, they 
began to indulge the fond hopes and foolish fears of the present world, 
becoming altogether weak, as other men. And such are the generality 
of Christians at this day. The love of many is waxing cold, while the 
Church of God is evidently falling into ruins. And how shall we assist 
to rekindle that love, or to repair that Church, but by zealously pro- 
claiming abroad the " hope of the Gospel ?" 



The true minister preaches Christian charity. 

iFlhe evangelical pastor proclaims repentance, faith, and hope, it is 
with a view of leading sinners to that Christian charity which is justly 
esteemed the crown of every grace. In preaching repentance, he lays 
the axe to the root of every corrupt tree. In publishing evangelical 
faith, he plants the tree of life. When he proclaims the hope of the 
Gospel, he causes that tree to put forth a beautiful blossom. But when 
he preaches Christian charity, he calls forth the rich fruit from every 
vigorous branch. And while he is engaged in performing the various 
parts of this important work, he denounces the anathemas of the Gospel 
against that repentance, faith, and hope, which are superficial, unfruit- 
ful, and delusive. 

The minister of the day piques himself upon preaching morality, 
which he is ordinarily accustomed to do in the manner of a heathen 
philosopher. Unacquainted with the importance and power of the doc- 
trines of Christianity, he is ashamed to walk in the traces of St. Paul. 
If he is enabled to paint, with any degree of ability, the serpents of envy, 
the inquietudes of avarice, and the delights of charity, he imagines that 
he shall readily dispose his neighbours to love as brethren. He knows 
not that " the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus" is that alone 
which can make any man " free from the law of sin and death," by 
delivering him from that envy, that avarice, that ambition, that indiffer- 
ence, and those worldly fears which are incompatible with evangelical 
charity. " What the law could not do in that it was weak through the 
flesh," i. e. our degenerate nature, which has need of stronger motives 
and more powerful supports than those which the law proposes, " God 
sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, con- 
demned sin in the flesh :" that by the new motives, and the Divine 
assistance offered in the Gospel, " the righteousness of the law might be 
fulfilled in us," who, being regenerate, " walk not after the flesh, but 
after the Spirit," Rom. viii, 4. 

The judicious pastor, observing the same connection between the 
morals and doctrines of Christianity, as between the root and fruit of a 



TILE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 155 

vigorous tree, is constrained incessantly to preach those important truths, 
which naturally give rise to the three first-mentioned graces : and he is 
perfectly assured, that wherever these truths are permitted to take root, 
he shall shortly rejoice over the inestimable fruits of Christian charity. 
This mode of acting is equally conformable to reason and revelation. 
By publishing those doctrines upon which the necessity of repentance is 
founded, he exterminates pride and inordinate self love, which are the 
greatest obstacles to charity. By preaching the doctrines of faith, he 
gives rise to that universal love which extends to God and man. Thus 
when a sinner sincerely believes that " God is love," 1 John iv, 16 ; 
when, penetrated with admiration and gratitude, he can say with the 
apostle, " I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and 
gave himself for me," Gal. ii, 20 : at that moment he necessarily feels 
a degree of affection toward the creating Father, and the redeeming 
Son, whom he longs to imitate, and whom he rejoices to obey. This 
love is as boundless as it is ardent, and reaches to the most unworthy 
of his fellow creatures, enabling him, after the example of Christ, to 
sacrifice for his very enemies, not only outward comforts, but even life 
itself. Hence the Christian faith is said to work by love. Now if this 
lively persuasion of the unspeakable blessings which God hath already 
given us in Christ Jesus, is sufficient to produce in the soul a high degree 
of Scriptural charity, it is evident that a well-grounded hope of greater 
blessings still to come, must necessarily serve to quicken and increase 
this charity. And if we are fully persuaded that our labours of love 
shall never be forgotten ; that even a cup of cold water, imparted for 
the love of Christ, shall not go unrewarded ; how vast an influence may 
such a hope be expected to exert in opening the heart to universa 1 
benevolence, and in producing all the fruits of evangelical love ! 

Convinced that to plead for charity, without insisting upon the doc 
trines by which it must be supported, would be building a house without 
laying a solid foundation, the true minister industriously labours to explain 
the nature, to exhibit the motives, and represent the effects of this wondrous 
grace, in the clearest manner. To some, indeed, such discourses are 
vain ; but others among his hearers are found, who, ravished with the 
loveliness of this virtue, and constrained by those motives which the 
Gospel proposes, betake themselves to the exercise of it, with as much 
ardour as the voluptuous run to their sensual entertainments. 

Darkness differs not more from light, than the charity of the faithful 
minister differs from thai of a sciibe ill instructed in the mysteries of the 
kingdom. The love of ihe goud pastor " rejoiceth not in iniquity, but 
rejoiceth in the truth," 1 Cor. xiii, 6, which frequently comes to humble 
human pride. On the contrary, the charity which every false apostle 
preaches is no more than the phantom of a virtue, consoling the heart 
in the midst of sin, rejoicing in a lie, and resting upon assurance alto- 
gether contrary to the word of God. To be charitable is, according to 
the notions of these men, to indulge a persuasion that there is much to 
be abated of the threatenings contained in the Gospel, and that St. Paul 
is far beside the truth when he declares, that " no unclean or covetous 
person hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ," Eph. v, 5. It 
is to believe that the Holy Spirit was too severe, when it dictated to St. 
fames, that " he who is a friend of the world is the enemy of God," and 



156 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 

violates his baptismal vow in as full a sense as adulterers violate the 
sacred vow of conjugal fidelity, James iv, 4. It is to insinuate that 
Christ himself overpassed the bounds of reason when he publicly cried 
out, " Whosoever shall say to his brother, Thou fool, shall be in danger 
of hell fire," Matt, v, 22. " Judge not," saith the Redeemer, " that ye 
be not judged," Matt, vii, 1. But, according to the sentiments of those 
erring guides, to be Divinely charitable, is to conclude from this precept 
that a man may even revoke the judgments of Christ himself; thus, 
under pretext of not judging those who are evidently walking in the road 
to perdition, they indirectly give judgment against the Redeemer f as 
bearing a false testimony. In errors like these it is that the world will 
needs have the greatest part of charity to consist. 

The true minister attacks this false grace as an enemy to the truth of 
the Gospel, while he pleads for that Christlike charity which may 
properly be called the sister of truth. He asserts the dignity and power 
of truth ; holding it up to the veneration and love of those who would 
not wilfully offend the God of truth. Let us, continues he, " speaking 
the truth in love, grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even 
Christ," Eph. iv, 15 ; and having first " purified our souls in obeying 
the truth," let us " love one another with a pure heart fervently," 1 Pet. 
i, 22. Between these Scriptural companions he will suffer no separa- 
tion to talte place ; and when they are treated by the injudicious as 
enthusiastic and heretical, he will dare to stand forth in defence of these 
two confederate virtues. 

Another opinion that generally prevails among the professors of Chris- 
tianity, is, that charity consists in giving alms to the poor. And this 
opinion is earnestly contended for by many, although the Pharisees, who 
were regarded by our Lord as " serpents and vipers," Matt, xxii, 33, 
through their want of unfeigned charity, were yet remarkable for their 
generosity in almsgiving. St. Paul manifestly opposes this erroneous 
notion, where he declares that it is possible for a man to " give all his 
goods to feed the poor," and yet be destitute of charity, 1 Cor. xiii, 3. 
The faithful pastor, it is true, maintains that every charitable person is 
constrained to assist the poor, according to his ability : but he adds, that 
almsgiving is as uncertain a mark of charity, as a constant attendance 
upon the sacramental table is an equivocal evidence of faith, since it is 
as possible to relieve the poor from weakness or vanity, as to receive 
the holy communion through timidity or custom. 

If the charity of worldly men is ever found to exceed this description, 
yet it will always be limited to the necessities of the body. As they 
know not how far the immortal spirit is superior to the perishing body, 
which must soon be blended in the dust of a thousand carcasses, it is no 
wonder that their chief concern is engrossed by the latter. The wel- 
fare of their own souls is attended to with a very small degree of soli- 
citude : and while this is the case, it cannot be imagined that they should 
manifest any extraordinary degree of affection toward the souls of their 
neighbours. They behold without sorrow those deluded partisans, who 
make war upon each other for the sake of their particular errors. They 
can even gaze, without pity, upon those obdurate souls who are despe- 
rately plunging from one abyss of sin to another. How different were 
the feelings of David, when, like a true penitent, he not only wept for 



THE PORTRAIT OP ST. FAflr* l5f 

nis own offences, but shed torrents of tears for those who transgressed 
the law of God," Psalm cxix, 136. And how contrary was the cha- 
racter of St. Paul, who went through a kind of spiritual travail till the 
degenerate were born again," Gal. iv, 19. In like manner the primitive 
Christians exposed themselves to imminent dangers, that they might 
give proofs of the most exalted charity, by snatching souls from sin and 
death. And when they were not able to effect this by their external 
labours, they then wrestled in their closets, with secret prayers and tears, 
for the conversion of the ungodly. Where there is no desire after the 
salvation of others, there Christian charity is unknown. For while a 
man disregards the soul of his neighbour, all the interest he takes in his 
temporal affairs can manifest no more than the charity of a disciple of 
Epicurus, which is as far below the charity of Christ's disciples, as 
materialism is inferior to Christianity. 

In opposition to all the erroneous notions, which too generally prevail 
upon this important subject, the ministry of the New Testament teaches, 
that evangelical charity is the image of God. And that eternal and 
infinite charity is nothing less than God himself. One apostle declares 
that " God is love ;" and another assures us, that we are called to be 
made " partakers of the Divine nature," 2 Pet. i, 4 ; whence the sacred 
preacher infers, that " the new creature," of which St. Paul makes 
mention, 2 Cor. v, 17, must necessarily consist in charity. When a 
Christian is filled with charity, he is then regenerate and born of God. 
Christ is then formed in his heart, the Hcly Spirit rests upon him, and 
he is " filled with all the fulness of God," Eph. hi, 16, 19. He keeps the 
first commandment of the law, by making a full surrender of his heart 
to God, from a consciousness that he is in himself the sovereign Good ; 
but he chiefly loves him in the person of Christ, through whom the 
Father is pleased peculiarly to shine forth as a God of love. In a 
secondary sense, he loves the works of God in all their wonderful 
variety, as they shadow forth his matchless perfections, and place them 
within the reach of man's understanding. And his esteem for these 
admirable productions is in proportion to the nearer or more distant rela- 
tion in which they stand to that eternal Wisdom which formed them all. 
Guided by this principle, he loves all mankind with an extraordinary 
degree of affection. The soul of man is peculiarly dear to him, because^ 
created in the image of God, and redeemed with the blood of his : 
beloved Son : while, as the organized vehicle of the soul, he admires 
and loves the perishable body. As the souls of the poor and the rich 
are equally immortal, he is never meanly prejudiced in favour of the 
latter; but, on the contrary, is ever ready to prefer a poor and piou& 
beggar, before a sensual and supercilious noble. Thus the true Chris- 
tian cherishes the faithful, not only for love of the Creator and Redeemer, 
but also for love of the sanctifying Spirit, unto whom their souls are 
consecrated as living altars, and their bodies as hallowed temples, 
1 Cor. vi, 19, 20. From this Divine charity good works of every kind 
proceed, as from an inexhaustible fountain ; a fountain which is making, 
as it were, continual efforts to enrich the barren soil around it. But, 
where this is wanting, all external appearances are without any real 
value. The lavish giver loses his worth before pious men, and the zeal- 
ous martyr his reward before a righteous God. 



158 THE rORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL.- 

Uniting in his own heart the love of God with the love of his neigh- 
bour, the true minister anxiously endeavours to demonstrate the folly of 
those who seek to separate these kindred virtues. He maintains, that 
charity without piety is but a mere natural virtue, which discovers itself as 
frequently in the brute creation, as among unregenerate men. Thus, the 
swallow and the bat are careful of their j^oung — the beaver and the ant 
are observed to labour for the respective societies of which they are 
individuals, and the she bear is ready to meet death in defence of her 
cubs. On this account, the good pastor furnishes his flock with those 
exalted motives to Christian love, which, by imparting an evangelical 
principle to mutual charity, ennobles it in man, and renders it Divine. 

As charity, without piety, is no more than a natural virtue, and may 
be the effect of Pharisaical or diabolical pride, so devotion, without 
brotherly love, is to be considered as a species of hypocrisy. This our 
Lord himself teaches in the following passage : "If thou bring thy gift 
to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath aught against 
thee ; leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way ; first be 
reconciled to thy brother, and then come and otfer thy gift," which 
would otherwise be rejected, as an abomination, by the God of love, 
Matt, v, 23, 24. True charity embraces all men, because, being made 
of one blood, they compose but one vast family, of which God himself 
is the great Parent. And here our Lord permits us not to except even 
our most cruel enemy. " Ye have heard," saith he, " that it hath been 
said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour and hate thine enemy. But I say 
unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them 
that hate you, and," manifesting a concern for their souls, as well as an 
attention to their persons, " pray for them that despitefully use and per- 
secute you ; that ye may be the children of your Father which is in 
heaven. For he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good," 
Matt, v, 43-45. 

Charity consists of two parts, patience and benevolence. By the one, 
we suffer every kind of indignity, without entertaining a thought of 
revenge ; and by the other, we heap upon our enemies unsolicited 
favours. Our adorable Master, whose conduct has furnished us with 
examples of the most perfect charity, discovers to us the extent of this 
virtue, in the following passages : The world hath " hated both me and 
my Father," John xv, 24; nevertheless, " God so loved the world, that 
he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should 
not perish, but have everlasting life," John iii, 16. " It hath been said, 
An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth ;" and the time is coming, when 
it shall be said, A thrust with a sword for an abusive word ; a pistol shot 
for a satirical expression. " Bi^ I say unto you, Resist not," according 
to the maxims of those by whom you are evil entreated ; but whosoever 
shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also :" that 
is, suffer two insults rather than revenge one. Follow the same rule 
likewise with respect to your worldly substance, " and if any man will 
sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak 
also :" that is, far from exacting with rigour, be ready to remit much 
of thy right, for the maintenance of peace ; since it is better to suffer a 
double injustice, than to lack condescension and charity. " And whoso- 
ever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain :" that is, merely 



THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. lo9 

yielding to others in things that are good, or indifferent, is not enough ; 
thy charity should rather prevent and surprise them with unexpected acts 
of civility and kindness. From these expressions it appears that our 
Lord would have his disciples to possess a charity not only extraordinary 
in some degree, but altogether Divine. In point of quality, he requires 
that it should be equal to the inexpressible love of the Father ; as a drop 
taken from the ocean is of the same nature with those mighty waves that 
roll over the unfathomable deep. " If ye love them," saith he, " that 
love you, what reward have you ? Do not even the publicans so ? Be 
ye therefore perfect, [in charity,] even as your Father which is in 
heaven is perfect," Matt. v. 

Faith, unspeakably excellent as it is, would be void of any real worth, 
unless it produced this happy disposition. " In Christ," saith the apos- 
tle, " the whole body, [of the faithful,] fitly joined together, and com- 
pacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual 
working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body, 
unto the edifying of itself in love," Eph. iv, 15, 16. "In Jesus Christ 
neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision ; but faith, 
which worketh by love," Gal. v, 6. " And though I have all faith, so 
that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing," 
1 Cor. xiii, 4. This celestial grace runs through the whole circle of 
Christian virtues. Thus, when St. Paul enumerates the fruits or effects 
of the Spirit, he points to charity, as the foremost of the train. And 
when St. Peter recounts the virtues which a Christian should add to his 
faith, he concludes with the finishing graces of " brotherly kindness and 
charity," Gal. v, 22 ; 2 Pet. i, 7. Both these ideas are afterward united 
by the great apostle, where he exhorts the Colossians " to put on charity, 
as that bond of perfectness," Col. iii, 14, without which the Chris- 
tian character would be incomplete, and which may be said to include 
all the graces of the Spirit, as a thousand ears of corn are united in the 
same sheaf, by one common band. 

It was with these sublime views of charity, that St. Paul thus addressed 
his converts. " By love serve one another ; for all the law is fulfilled 
in one word, even in this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself," 
Gal. v, 13, 14. "Owe no man any thing, but to love one another, for 
he that loveth another, [in obedience to Christ's command,] hath fulfilled 
the law," Rom. xiii, 8. " Charity never faileth ;" inasmuch as it is the 
source of heavenly joy. " Now, [in the Church militant,] abide faith, 
hope, and charity ; but the greatest of these is charity," which shall cer- 
tainly animate the Church triumphant, 1 Cor. xiii, 8, 13. 

Even here on earth it is counted as the beginning of eternal life to 
know, by faith, that " God is love," and that he seeks to gain our affec- 
tions by blessings without number, John xvii, 3. A discovery of this 
kind cannot but give rise to some grateful return in the soul ; since it is 
impossible firmly to believe these ravishing truths, without crying out 
like the first Christians, " We love him, because he first loved us," 
1 John iv, 19. If God has mercifully made the first advances toward 
his rebellious creatures, if notwithstanding the distance between him and 
us be infinite, and the obstacles to our union innumerable, he yet gra- 
ciously presents himself, in spite of all, within our reach ; if he yet 
inclines to pardon the guilty, and endeavours to reconcile the world unto 



160 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. VAVU 

himself by Jesus Christ, 2 Cor. v, 18 ; what conscious heart can be 
unaffected with these tokens of his love, or what tongue can be silent 
in his praise ? 

This God of charity thus affectionately addressed an ancient class of 
his servants : " I have loved thee with an everlasting love, therefore 
with loving kindness have I drawn thee," Jer. xxxi, 3. The favour 
here expressed toward the Jewish Church is great ; but that which is 
testified by the same adorable Jehovah to the Christian Church, is still 
more astonishing. His Son, the living and eternal image of his Father, 
humbles himself to the dust, and invests himself with our nature, that 
raising us from our low estate, he may at length place us at the right 
hand of the majesty on high. " He loved the Church," saith St. Paul, 
" and gave himself for it, that he might sanctify and cleanse it, and that 
ho might present it to himself a glorious Church, not having spot or 
wrinkle, or any such thing," Eph. v, 25, 27. Thus he has given to 
believers an example of the love which they ought to entertain for all 
their Christian brethren, and to husbands a pattern of the attachment 
they should feel to their wives ; since he left the bosom of his Father for 
the very purpose of suffering with and for his Church, which, in the 
language of Scripture, is called his spouse, Rev. xix, 7. But, adds the 
apostle, " this is a great mystery," Eph. v, 32. Now the true minister 
is happily initiated into this grand mystery of charity. He can say, 
with Peter, " Lord ! thou knowest all things ; thou knowest that I love 
thee." He can testify, with Paul, " The love of Christ constraineth 
me." And, at other times, when the emotions of his heart are too tender 
for utterance, tears of gratitude and joy silently cry out, like those of 
dissolving Mary, " Lord, thou art worthy of all my love, since thou hast 
graciously pardoned all my sin." Animated with this love, he publicly 
msists upon universal charity, with all the ardour of St. John, testifying 
that it flows from the knowledge of God, and must be considered as the 
root of Christian obedience. " Hereby," saith he, " perceive we the 
love of God, because he laid down his life for us ; ar.d we ought to lay 
down our lives for the brethren. My little children, let us not love in 
word, neither in tongue ; but [according to the example of Christ] in 
deed and in truth," 1 John hi, 16-18. For, if " God so loved us, we 
ought also to love one another," and remember, " he that loveth not, 
knoweth not God, for God is love," 1 John iv, 11, 8. 

Although Christ evidently came to break down the wall of separation 
between the Jews and Gentiles, by preaching the doctrine of universal 
charity ; yet he willed that believers should love one another with a 
peculiar degree of affection. We are required to meet the unregenerate 
With a love of benevolence ; but believers should be bound to each other by 
ties so tender and powerful, that the world may acknowledge them to be 
men of one heart and one soul. " By this," saith our Lord, " shall all 
men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another,' 
John xiii, 35. And who can describe the generosity, the sweetness, the' 
strength, and the constancy, of this enlivening grace ? It is more active 
than the penetrating flame ; it is stronger than death. The eommunion 
of saints is received among Christians as a sentence in their established 
creed. Happy would it be did it constitute a part of their religious ex- 
perience ! As to the difference between Christian charity and that which 



THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. l6l 

was required under the law, it seems to be satisfactorily pointed out by 
St. John in the following passage : " Brethren, I write no new com- 
mandment unto you, but an old commandment, which ye had from the 
beginning :" for Moses himself earnestly exhorted his people to main- 
tain among themselves the holy fire of fraternal love. " Again, a new 
commandment I write unto you," 1 John ii, 7, 8 ; new, in relation to 
Christ, who hath loved us not only as himself, but even more than him- 
eelf ; since he offered up his life a ransom for the rebellious. Moses 
tasted not of death for Pharaoh, as Jesus did for Pilate, Herod, and Caia- 
phas. The Christian Legislator alone requires a charity of this perfectly 
disinterested nature ; and for the support of so exalted a precept, he has 
seconded it with his own great example. " Herein is love," continues 
the apostle, " not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his 
Son to be the propitiation for our sins." Love, then, is undoubtedly of 
God ; flowing from him, as from an inexhaustible spring ; " and he that 
loveth [after the same pure and fervent maimer] is born of God, and 
knoweth God," 1 John iv, 7, 11. 

This charity is set forth by St. Paul as a source of consolation. " If," 
saith he to the Philippians, " there be any comfort in love, be ye like- 
minded, having the same love [one to another ;] and let this mind be in 
you, which was also in Christ Jesus," Phil, ii, 1, 6. And, in another 
epistle he cries out, " I have a great conflict for them at Laodicea, that 
their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love," Col. ii, 1, 2. 

1. Charity may be considered as a spring of comfort, because it frees 
us from the fear of death, and delivers us from a ""thousand other terrors, 
which trouble the peace of worldly men. " There is no fear in love ; 
but perfect love, hoping all things, casteth out fear ; because fear hath 
torment. He therefore that feareth is not made perfect in love," 
1 Jofr-i iv, 18. 

2. Charity is consoling, because it assists and encourages us in the 
discharge of our several duties. When we glow with affection to God 
and our neighbour, works of piety and charity are performed not only 
without pain, but with heartfelt sensations of secret delight. " This is 
the love of God, that we keep his commandments ;" and to those who 
sincerely love him, " his commandments are not grievous," 1 John v, 3. 
Thus a tender mother loses her repose without repining, that she may 
tend to the wants of her restless infant ; thus an affectionate father 
labours with pleasure for the support and education of his children ; and 
thus, with every testimony of joy, the primitive Christians relieved and 
supported one another. The admirable effects produced by this un- 
feigned love are described by St. Luke in the following terms : " The' 
multitude of them that believed were of one heart and one soul ; neither 
said any of them that aught of the things which he possessed was his 
own ; but [losing sight of every self-interesting view] they had all things 
common," Acts iv, 32. 

Here we behold that eminently accomplished by Christ Which was 
anciently prefigured unto Moses in the desert, when the manna was so' 
equally distributed among the people, that " he who gathered much had 
nothing over, and he who gathered little had no lack," Exod. xvi, 18. 

Happy were these fleeting days of Christian fellowship ! Days that 
had long been promised by God, and of which a foretaste had been given 

Vol. III. 11 



162 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 

in the land of Canaan, when it was ordained that, during the year of 
Jubilee, the poor should be permitted to share the comforts of their richer 
neighbours. It must be allowed, that a multitude of insincere professors 
overspreading the Church in these melancholy times, will not permit 
this method to be generally adopted among us, which would nevertheless 
be entirely practicable in a country inhabited by the affectionate follow- 
ers of Jesus. But at the same time it is no less true, that every indi- 
vidual who is possessed of real charity, is still treading in the steps of 
his elder brethren, and waiting only the return of favourable times to 
prove that " Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever," 
Heb. xiii, 8, and that unfeigned charity, in the same circumstances, will 
ever produce the same effect. 

It is impossible too highly to exalt this charity, which springs from a 
grateful sense of the redemption that is in Jesus. He who is unac- 
quainted with this grace is a stranger to every real virtue, and utterly 
destitute of that " holiness without which no man shall see the Lord," 
Heb. xii, 14. Hence we find the Apostle Paul so frequently connecting 
holiness with love ; or rather, pressing the latter as the ground of the 
former. " God," saith he, " hath chosen us in Christ, that we should 
be holy and without blame before him in love," Eph. i, 3, 4. " Let 
Christ dwell in your hearts by faith ; that ye, being rooted and grounded 
in love, may be able to comprehend, with all saints, what is the breadth, 
and length, and depth, and height ; and to know the love of Christ, 
which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of 
God," Eph. iii, 17, 18. " The Lord make you to increase and abound 
in love one toward another, and toward all men ; to the end that he may 
establish your hearts unblamable in holiness jbefore God," 1 Thess. iii, 
12, 13. 

"Knowledge [alone] puffeth up, but charity [added to knowledge] 
edifieth," 1 Cor. vii, 1, and conducts the soul from grace to grace, 
"unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ," Eph. iv, 13. 
Happy they who have attained to this high degree of spirituality, from 
which, with a look of pure beneficence, they can smile on all around 
them ! Such may join the first professors of Christianity, and say, " We 
have known and believed the love that God hath to us," and, penetrated 
with a deep sense of his affection, we declare, from happy experience, 
that " God is love ; and he that dwelleth in love, dwelleth in God and 
God in him," 1 John iv, 16. The love of these persevering drseiples 
may, in a Scriptural sense, he termed " perfect ;" since it enables them 
to bear a just, though faint resemblance to the God of love, 1 John iv, 
17. Their hearts are as replete with charity as sparks are filled with 
fire ; and doubtless the smallest spark may be said to shine with a degree 
of perfection, in its little sphere, as well as the brighter sun in his more 
boundless course. 

St. Paul, who preached this charity with so much fervency, declares, 
that it was kindled in his heart by the love of Christ ; and upon this 
account he labours to found it upon those doctrines which are universally 
despised by every class of Deists. In his Epistle to the Romans, which 
contains sixteen chapters, he employs eleven in laying this solid founda- 
tion, while the duties of charity are declared only in the five remaining 
chapters. Like a wise master-builder, before he attempts to raise* this 






TIUE PORTRAIT OF STi TAVL. 163 

Sacred edifice, he endeavours to remove out of the way the ruins of Cor- 
rupted nature, and the rubbish of self love. But had he endeavoured to 
do this without calling in to his aid the doctrines of the Gospel, he would 
have acted as ridiculously as Archimedes, had that philosopher attempted 
the removal of the earth without having first secured a solid footing 
suited to his purpose. 

The most powerful motives employed by this apostle in urging us to 
the practice of Christian charity, are the love of God and the compas- 
sion of Christ. " God," saith he, " commendeth his love toward us, in 
that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us," Rom. v, 8 ; and, "ye 
know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet 
for your sakes he became poor, that ye, through his poverty, might be- 
come rich," 2 Cor. viii, 9. Now, whoever is sensible of the power, and 
tastes the sweetness, of these two grand truths, feels himself at the same 
time carried to every good work, in the same manner as the miser is led 
to those actions which serve to increase his hoard. For, " being saved 
by grace, through faith," in these very truths, " we are created by Christ 
Jesus unto good works," Eph. ii, 8, 10. "Who gave himself for us," 
on this sole account.^ " that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and 
purify unto himself a peculiar people zealous of good works," Tit. ii, 14. 
The consolatory doctrine of a gratuitous pardon offered to sinners as a 
token of God's unfathomable love, is another motive frequently made use 
of to the like purpose. " Put on," continues the same apostle, " as the 
elect of God, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meek- 
ness, long suffering ; forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, 
if any man have a quarrel against any : even as Christ forgave you, so 
also do ye," Col. hi, 12, 13. "Above all things have fervent charity 
among yourselves ; for charity shall cover the multitude of sins," 1 Pet. 
iv, 8. Yes, it not only covers the sins of others, by considering their 
doubtful actions in the most favourable point of view, and by overlook- 
ing the most unpardonable of their failings ; but may, in some measure, 
be said to cover our own offences, since Godj for Christ's sake, has 
promised to overlook our transgressions, as we give proof of a forgiving 
temper toward our brethren. Discord entered into the world by sin. 
Henee we see unregenerate men not only separated from God, but 
divided among themselves : and hence, by the rebellion of his growing 
passions against his enfeebled reason, every unrighteous man is at war 
with himself. Dreadful as these evils are, we are here presented with 
a perfect remedy for them all. He who created man upright, has sent 
his Son to re-establish harmony in the world, to reduce our passions 
under the dominion of universal benevolence, to subject our reason to the 
authority of truth, and to subdue the whole man under the sweet yoke 
of charity manifested in the flesh ; that Charity which is destined to reign 
for ever, and whose happy empire is called the " kingdom of heaven." 
" The Father of glory," says St. Paul, " hath put all things under the 
feet of Christ, and hath given him to be the head over all things to the 
Church, which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all," Eph. 
i, 17, 23. " Ye, who sometimes were far off, are now made nigh by 
the blood of Christ. For he is our peace " between Jews and Gentiles* 
between man and man, " who hath made both one, and hath broken 
down the middle wall of partition between us, that he might reconcile 



164 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. TAUT,. 

both unto God in one body, by the cross, having skin the enmity " by 
that perfect charity of which he gave so many wonderful proofs. " Now 
therefore," we, who are actuated by the same spirit of love, " are no 
more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and of 
the household of God ; and are built upon the foundation of the apostles 
and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone. In 
whom the whole building, fitly framed together, groweth unto a holy 
temple in the Lord : in whom also ye are builded together for a habita- 
tion of God, through the Spirit" of charity, Eph. ii, 13, 22. 

The minister who feels the force of these constraining motives, can- 
not fail to place them continually before his hearers. The various parts 
of his public discourses as naturally incline to this grand point, as the 
several parts of a solid edifice mutually rest upon the common founda- 
tion. " There is one body," saith he with the apostle, " and one Spirit 
even as ye are called in one hope of your calling ; one Lord, one God 
and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all," 
Eph. iv, 4, 6. " As we have many members in one body ; so we, being 
many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. 
Let love be, therefore, without dissimulation : be kindly affectioned one to 
another, with brotherly love ; in honour preferring one another. Rejoice 
with them that do rejoice ; and weep with them that weep. Be of the 
same mind one toward another. Avenge not yourselves, but rather give 
place unto wrath. If thine enemy hunger, feed him ; if he thirst, give 
him drink. Be not overcome of evil ; but overcome evil with good," 
Rom. xii, 4, 21. In a word, " let all things be done with charity," 
1 Cor. xvi, 14. 

To conclude. The evangelical pastor points out the excellence of 
charity, and urges every motive that can lead to the practice of it, till 
worldly men are constrained to cry out, with all the admiration of the 
ancient heathens, " See how these Christians love one another !" Lu- 
cian, indeed, could look with ridicule upon the zeal with which the 
primitive Christians succoured one another: "For," says he, "their 
legislator has made them believe that they are all brethren ; and hence 
they have all things common among them, despising even death itself, 
through the hope of immortality." The good pastor, however, is anxious 
to do that which this heathen writer was impious enough to censure in 
Christ. He admonishes believers to address the Almighty as their com- 
mon parent, Luke xi, 2 ; conscious that so soon as they receive power 
to cry, " Abba," that is, Fatlwr, by the Holy Spirit, they will necessarily 
forget every scrupulous distinction between mine and thine, and put up, 
with unfeigned sincerity, that universal prayer, "Give us this day our 
daily bread." This petition is commonly used by every member of our 
degenerate Church, while their hearts are comparatively insensible to 
the wants of their necessitous brethren. But were the love of ancient 
days to revive among us, we should not only solicit common blessings 
from above, but rejoice to share them with each other, as brethren par- 
take of a repast provided for them at the table of their common parent. 

Happy days ! when the Gospel of Christ was seen to flourish in the 
earth. Surely that sacred season might, with propriety, be termed the 
golden age of the Church. O that we could recall the felicity we have 
forfeited, and see the joys of unanimity restored to a distracted world 



THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 165 

But while we give vent to our lamentations, let us not sink into despair, 
since, however deplorable our present circumstances may be, they are 
not totally remediless. Though for so many ages, self love has usurped 
the throne of charity : though mankind are prone to injure one another, 
in their reputation by slander ; in their property by injustice ; and in 
their persons by murder, whether perpetrated in the character of an 
assassin, or that of a duellist ; though wars are fomented on the slightest 
pretences, and Christian princes appear eager to wash their hands in the 
blood of thousands : though " all the earth is full of darkness and cruel 
habitations," Psalm lxxiv, 21, yet will we not give up our hope. These 
unhappy times were foretold by our gracious Master, Matt, xxiv, 12. 
And as he had prescience enough to predict the decays of Christian love, 
and the calamities consequent thereupon ; so he is possessed of sufficient 
power to re-establish the empire of charity in the world. Believers, then, 
amidst all their afflictions, may patiently and confidently expect those 
"times of refreshing" which shall assuredly "come from the presence 
of the Lord ;" looking forward to that promised "restitution of all things," 
concerning " which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy pro- 
phets since the world began," Acts iii, 19, 21. In the meanwhile, let 
those who are hastening, by their prayers, this desirable revolution, be 
careful to preserve in their own hearts those sparks of charity which 
shall one day kindle the universe into a sacred name. And let the 
ministers of the Gospel make a constant display of those evangelical 
truths which were formerly sufficient to light up this glorious fire ; that, 
by stirring up the dying embers of grace, the little light, which still 
remains in the Church, may be preserved from total extinction. 

Should it be here objected — Are not all the ministers of our Church 
to be considered as preachers of Christian charity ? We answer, By no 
means. The charity, concerning which we speak, must flow from a 
union with Christ; a union which ministers of the present day are 
accustomed to treat as enthusiastic and vain. This excellent grace " is 
shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost, which is given unto us," 
Rom. v, 5. But he who dares openly to plead for this Scriptural 
truth, is esteemed by such preachers no better than a deluded fanatic. 
These insincere preachers are frequently heard, indeed, to speak of 
Christian charity, but far from endeavouring to spread it through the 
world, they use every effort to destroy the very seeds of this grace in 
the Church of God. If, in a parish that is unhappy enough to have a 
pastor of this kind, a few persons are happily converted to God, and 
united together in Jesus Christ ; if, having one heart, and one soul, 
they frequently join together in prayer and in praise, mutually exhorting 
and provoking one another to love and good works ; the worldly minis- 
ter, instantly alarmed, imagines that these persons, for the sake of form- 
ing a new sect, are destroying the unity of the Church ; when, on the 
contrary, they are but just about to experience the communion of saints. 
And, if he be possessed of zeal, or party spirit, he will labour to make 
it appear that these Christians, who are beginning to love as brethren, 
are forming conventicles to disturb the order both of Church and state. 
Such a minister will give encouragement to companies of jugglers, 
dancers, and drunkards, rather than tolerate a society which has Chris- 
tian charity for its object and basis. 



166 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 

The true minister believes and preaches the three grand promises of God, 
together with the three great dispensations of grace. 

We have seen, in the preceding chapters, that believers are saved by 
a lively faith and a joyful hope, which mutually serve to excite and 
increase in their souls the superior graGe of charity. Now this faith 
and this hope must necessarily have for their foundation some promise 
of God. A promise already accomplished is embraced by faith alone ; 
but a promise, whose accomplishment is protracted, is equally the object 
of faith and of hope. He, therefore, who is appointed by Christ a 
preacher of the everlasting Gospel, is solicitous to obtain clear ideas of 
the great promises of God. He is constantly engaged in meditating upon 
their past or future accomplishment, in order to maintain in his own 
heart those inestimable graces with which he is desirous to animate the 
souis of others. Observe the order in whioh he considers, embraces, 
and preaches them. 

Under the dispensation of the Father, the grand promise was that 
which respected the external manifestation of the Son. The original 
promise, as made to Adam, was expressed in the following terms : — 
" The seed of the woman shall bruise the head of the serpent," Gen. 
iii, 15. As the Messiah was to descend from Abraham, according to 
the flesh, the same promise was thus renewed to that patriarch : " In 
thee shall all families of the earth be blessed," Gen. xii, 3. In the days 
of Moses, it was repeated to all Israel, as follows : " The Lord thy God 
will raise up unto thee a prophet, from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, 
unto him shall ye hearken," Deut. xviii, 15. David and the other pro- 
phets powerfully confirmed this prophecy, and Malachi thus recapitulates 
the promises which had been given before his time : " The Lord whom 
ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the Messenger of the 
covenant whom ye delight in ; behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of 
Hosts," Mai. iii, 1. " Unto you, that fear my name, shall the Sun of 
righteousness arise with bealing in his wings ; and ye shall go forth," 
out of your present obscure dispensation, " and grow up," in spiritual 
strength, " as calves of the stall," Mai. iv, 2. Thus speaks the last of 
the prophets, under the dispensation of the Father. 

Immediately upon the accomplishment of these promises, while the 
dispensation of the Son was but darkly opened by his precursor, another 
promise was given for the exercise of faith and hope, under this new econ- 
omy, respecting the full manifestation of the Holy Ghost, as a Spirit of 
truth and love. Behold this grand promise as announced by John the 
Baptist: "I am not the Christ; I am the voice of one crying in the wilder- 
ness, Make straight the way of the Lord," John i, 20, 23. " I baptize 
you with water unto repentance," as a preparation for the spiritual king- 
dom and baptism of the Messiah : "but he that cometh after me is 
mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear." He shall intro- 
duce a more spiritual dispensation, and administer a more efficacious 
baptism : for "he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire," 
shedding abroad those gifts and graces of his Spirit, which shall pene- 
trate and purify your hearts, as metals are penetrated and purified by 
material fire," Matt, iii, 11. This promise is of so great importance 
that it was thought necessary to be repeated by the four evangelists. 



THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. lb'? 

Our Lord, continuing the dispensation which his forerunner had 
opened, " made and baptized more disciples than John, though Jesus 
himself baptized not, with water, but his disciples," John iv, 1, 2. The 
baptism which he was about to administer, was as far superior to the 
baptism of John, and that of his own disciples, as the water of which he 
spake to the woman of Samaria was superior to the water of Jordan, 
or that of Jacob's well. " Whosoever shall drink of the water that I 
shall give him," said he to that inquiring woman ; whosoever shall come 
to my baptism, and let down his vessel into the inexhaustible fountain of 
my grace, " shall never thirst : but the water that I shall give him, shall 
be" in him a well of water," a source of righteousness, peace, and joy, 
"springing up into everlasting life," John iv, 14. 

In order to strengthen the hope of those who had been baptized with 
water, our Lord publicly ratified the promise which had been so fre- 
quently repeated to them by John the Baptist. " In the last day, that 
great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, If any man thirst, let him 
come unto me and drink. He that believeth on me, as the Scripture 
hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. But this he 
spake of the Spirit, which they that believe on him, in every age, should 
receive. For the Holy Ghost was not yet fully given, because that 
Jesus was not yet glorified," John vii, 37-39. An inestimable promise 
this, which deserves to be deeply engraven in the minds of those who 
are merely acquainted with Christ, according to his exterior appear- 
ance in the world. Observe here the method by which the blessed Jesus 
endeavours to prepare all such, in every country and in every period, for 
his manifestation in the Spirit : " If you love me, keep my command- 
ments ;" be faithful to the present dispensation of my Gospel, " and I 
will pray the Father, and he will give you another Comforter, that he 
may abide with you for ever. At that day," when ye shall experience 
the fulness of his presence, " ye shall know that I am in my Father, 
and ye in me, and I in you." For "he that loveth me, shall be loved 
of my Father, and I will love him, and we will come unto him, and make 
our abode with him," John xiv, 15-23. By comparing these words 
with the seventeenth and twenty-sixth verses of the same chapter, it is 
evident, that by this spiritual manifestation of the Father and the Son, 
nothing less can be intended than the full measure of that. Holy Spirit 
'•' which proceedeth from the Father," John xv, 26, and which is ex- 
pressly called "the Spirit of the Son," Gal. iv, 6. 

Our Lord, who knew the stupidity of those who were under the infe- 
rior dispensation of his Gospel, and how " slow of heart" thev were " to 
believe" what either the prophets or himself had spoken, judged it expe- 
dient to repeat the grand promise of the Spirit again and again. " When 
the Comforter is come," said he, " whom I will send unto you from the 
Father, he shall testify of me," John xv, 26. " It is expedient for you 
that I go away : for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto 
you ; but if I depart, I will send him unto you," John xvi, 7. " Behold 
I send the promise of my Father upon you," Luke xxiv, 49. 

The abundant effusion of the Holy Spirit was termed by our Lord the 
promise of the Father, for two reasons : first, because, coming to instruct 
mankind how to worship the Father " in spirit and in truth," it became 
him to refer all things to that Father. And this he was strictly and con. 



168 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 

stantly accustomed to do. Secondly, because " the Father of lights" is 
to be considered as the author of " every good and perfect gift." It was 
he who so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son to die for 
the world, and from him proceeds that Holy Spirit, which Jesus Christ 
still continues to shed abroad among his faithful followers. The Father had 
already promised, under the law, that he would grant unto his people a 
general outpouring of his Spirit, under the reign of the Messiah. The 
memorable prophecy of Joel, as quoted by St. Peter, is generally known ; 
and the following promises equally merit the attention of believers. " In 
that day I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants 
of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications. And they shall 
look upon me, whom they ha/e pierced, and they shall mourn for him, 
as one mourneth for his only son," Zech. xii, 10. "I will pour water 
upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the diy ground. I will pour 
my Spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring," Isaiah 
xliv, 3. " I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean. 
I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes," 
Ezek. xxxvi, 25-27. " I will give them one heart : I will take the stony 
heart out of their flesh, and will give them a heart of flesh," Ezek. xi, 19. 
That man must be prejudiced to an extreme degree, who perceives not 
that these gracious prophecies began to receive their accomplishment 
Upon the day of pentecost, when the multitude of them that believed were 
" of one heart and one soul." 

The last day our risen Saviour passed upon earth was employed in 
strengthening the faith of his disciples, with respect to this promise. 
After having assembled them together, " he commanded them to wait 
for the promise of the Father, which," continued he, " ye have heard of 
me. For John truly baptized with water," and ye have done the same 
by my direction, " but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many 
days hence," Acts i, 4, 5. t 

After the grand promise under the dispensation of the Son was in part 
accomplished ; when the disciples were filled with faith, and with the 
Holy Ghost, another promise was given to exercise their faith, to fix 
their attention, and to perfect their patience ; the promise of Christ's 
second coming to " gather his wheat into the garner, and to burn up the 
chaff with unquenchable fire," Matt, iii, 12. "This same Jesus," said 
the angels who appeared to the disciples on the day of their Master's 
ascension, " this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, 
shall so come, in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven," Acts 
i, 11. This important promise was afterward repeated by St. Paul and 
the other apostles. "The Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven, 
with his mighty angels, in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that 
obey not the Gospel ; who shall be punished with everlasting destruction 
from the presence of the Lord, when he shall come to be glorified in his 
saints, and to be admired in all them that believe," 2 Thess. i, 7-10. 
" Behold, he eometh with clouds, and every eye shall see him, and they 
also which pierced him ; and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because 
of him," Rev. i, 7. " The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the 
night," 2 Pet. iii, 10. 

This coming of Christ, which is disregarded by many, for the reason 
assigned by St. Peter, 2 Pet. iii, 9, 10, is so fully expected by those who 



THE PORTRAIT OF ST. TALL. 1SU 

live under the dispensation of the Spirit, that they are constantly < : looking 
for, and hastening to, the coming of the day of God," 2 Pet. iii, 12. 
According to St. Paul, sinners are converted from the error of their ways, 
that they may " serve the living and true God, and wait for his Son from 
heaven, wham he raised from the dead," 1 Thess. i, 9, 10. "Looking 
for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and 
our Saviour Jesus Christ," Tit. ii, 13. This second coming of Christ 
was the object of this apostle's highest hopes, after which he represents 
himself as groaning with the most fervent desire, Rom. viii, 23. " Yea, 
I count all tilings but loss," continues he, " that I may know him, and the 
power of his resurrection. Our conversation is in heaven, from whence 
also we look for the Saviour, who shall change our vile body, that it may 
be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby 
he is even able to subdue all things unto himself," Phil, in, 20, 21. 

As God had afforded believers, under the Old Testament, a perspec- 
tive view both of the manifestation of the Redeemer in a mortal body, 
and of that dispensation of the Spirit, which he was to open among his 
followers under the New Testament ; so he had likewise foretold, by his 
prophets, the glorious return of that Saviour to the earth. " The Lord 
cometh with ten thousand of his saints to execute judgment," Jude 14. 
" Behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts. But who may abide 
the day of his coming ? And who shall stand when he appeareth 1 For 
he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap," Mail, iii, 1, 2. 

Mark the terms in which our Lord himself declared this sublime dis- 
pensation. " The love of many shall wax cold. False prophets shall 
arise, and ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by the 
Prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place. Immediately after the tribu- 
lation of those days, the powers of the heaven shall be shaken. And 
then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven. Then shall all 
the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming 
hi the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. But of that day 
and hour knoweth no man. Watch, therefore ; for ye know not what 
hour your Lord doth come," Matt. xxiv. Thus Jesus himself testified 
of his second coming ; and his first disciples, in conformity to their Mas- 
ter's declaration, addressed a large assembly in the following terms, 
almost immediately after his ascension : " Repent ye, and be converted, 
that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall 
come from the presence of the Lord ; and he shall send Jesus, which 
before was preached unto you ; whom the heavens must receive, until 
the time of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth 
of all his holy prophets, since the world began," Acts iii, 19-21. 

So long as a minister embraces these different promises ; so long as, 
with a lively faith, which is '■' the evidence of things not seen," he believes 
that the Father sent his Son for the redemption of sinners, and his Holy 
Spirit for the sanctifi cation of believers,— so long as, with a faith which 
is " the substance of things hoped for," he believes that Christ shall one 
day return for the glorification of his saints ; so long he is saved by that 
faith and hope which enable him to preach the Gospel in all its won- 
drous extent : so long he not only comprehends but experiences the power 
of that Gospel in his own soul, while he labours to make it manifest before 
the world, by his public discourses, and by the whole tenor of his conduct. 



170 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAXIL. 

The true minister studies the different dispensations, in order to qualify 
himself for the discharge of every part of his duty. 

The pastor who is ill instructed in the mysteries of our holy religion, 
loses himself, and leads his sheep astray. The good pastor, on the con- 
trary, having found out the way to everlasting life, presses forward 
therein at the head of his flock, and exhorts every heedless wanderer to 
follow his steps. He is conscious, not only that he has a mixture of 
sheep and goats in his fold, but he knows that, among the former, there 
are some to whose spiritual condition the sincere milk of the word is 
much better adapted than stronger food. To all of these he studies to 
address himself in a suitable manner. To those who are dead in tres- 
passes and sin, equally destitute both of love and fear, he proclaims the 
first principles of the Gospel, such as "repentance from dead works, faith 
toward God, and an eternal judgment," Heb. vi, 1, 2. Those who had 
already awakened from the delusions of sin, he anxiously leads into the 
paths of grace ; and endeavours to conduct those to evangelical perfec- 
tion, who have felt the powers of the world to come, verse 6. He easily 
distinguishes the mixed multitude of his hearers into a variety of classes. 
The unbelieving and the impenitent, who are to be considered as without 
God and without hope in the world, are such as go on, without any 
symptom of fear, toward the gulf of perdition ; whether it be by the high 
road of vice, with the notoriously abandoned, or through the by-path of 
hypocrisy, with Pharisaical professors. Converted sinners, or believers, 
are either under the dispensation of the Father, under that of the Son, 
or under that of the Holy Ghost, according to the different progress they 
have made in spiritual things. And the faithful pastor is as perfectly 
acquainted with their various attainments, as a diligent tutor is acquainted 
with the different abilities of his several pupils. 

Believers, under the dispensation of the Father, are ordinarily sur- 
rounded with a night of uncertainty and doubt, though visited, at times, 
with a few scattered rays of hope. Under the dispensation of his Son, 
the doubts of believers are dissipated, like those of the two disciples who 
journeyed to Emmaus, while they discover more clearly, and experience 
more powerfully, the truths of the Gospel. But under the dispensation 
of the Spirit, they " walk in the light," 1 John i, 7, and are led into all 
truth by " the Spirit of truth," John xvi, 13 ; " the anointing which they 
have received abideth in them, and teacheth them of all things" neces- 
sary to salvation, 1 John ii, 27. 

A father of the Church, paraphrasing upon those words of the apostle, 
" Lord, save us ; we perish," apostrophizes thus with the doubting disci- 
ples : " You have your Saviour with you, what danger can you fear? 
We are yet, they reply, but children, and have attained but to a small 
degree of strength : hence we are afraid. The descent of the Holy Spirit, 
that Divine protector which has been graciously promised, has not yet 
filled us with full assurance. This has been the cause of our unsteadi- 
ness hitherto : and hence the Saviour so frequently reproaches us with 
the weakness of our faith." [Origen Horn. Matt, viii, 23-28.) Now^all 
those Christians, who have not yet received the spiritual baptism so fre- 
quently mentioned in the New Testament, are shut up in this state of 
weakness and doubt. But so soon as they are born of the Spirit, thev 



THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUJL. 171 

cry out no longer with trembling fear, " Save us ; we perish !" But they 
cry out, in transports of gratitude, " God, according to his mercy, hath 
saved us, by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost, 
which he hath shed on us abundantly, through Jesus Christ our Saviour," 
Tit. iii, 5, 6. 

Under the dispensation of the Father, believers constantly experience 
the fear of God, and, in general, a much greater degree of fear than 
love. Under the economy of the Son, love begins to gain ascendancy 
over fear. But under the dispensation of the Holy Spirit, «,' perfect love 
casteth out fear," 1 John vi, 18 ; because it is the peculiar office of the 
Comforter to deliver the soul from every thing that is liable to distress 
and torment it. 

Under the economy of the Father, the believer is frequently heard to 
exclaim, " O wretched man that I am ! who shall deliver me from the 
body of this death ?" Rom. vii, 24. Under that of the Son, he grate- 
fully cries out, " I thank God," who hath effectually wrought this de- 
liverance, " through Jesus Christ our Lord," Rom. vii, 25. But under 
the perfect Gospel, which is the dispensation of the Spirit, all believers 
are enabled to say with one voice, "We have not received the spirit of 
bondage again to fear ; but we have received the Spirit of adoption, 
whereby we cry, Abba, Father ! The Spirit itself beareth witness with 
our spirit, that we are the children of God, and joint heirs with Christ," 
Rom. viii, 15-17. 

St. Paul thus distinguishes the different states of advancement in the 
Christian faith. " The heir, as long as he is a child, [and such is the 
case with believers, under the dispensation of the Father,] differeth 
nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all ; but is under tutors 
and governors till the time appointed of his father. Even so we were 
once in a state of bondage ; but when the fulness of time was come, 
God sent forth his Son to redeem them that were under the law, that we 
might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God 
hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Fa- 
ther. Wherefore, thou art no more a servant, but a son ; and if a son, 
then an heir of God, through Christ," Gal. iv, 1-7, " by whom we 
have access into this grace, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God," 
Rom. v, 2. 

Our Lord himself evidently pointed out the progressive state of the 
Church, when, turning to his disciples, he said, " Blessed are the eyes 
which see the things that ye see : for I tell you, that many prophets and 
kings have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen 
them ; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard 
them," Luke x, 23, 24. Nevertheless, when their gracious Master 
held this language, he was at that time neither glorified nor crucified : 
and it is well known that the glory of the Gospel was to follow his suf- 
ferings and his triumph. 

The same subject is treated by St. Peter in his first epistle, where he 
speaks of that full salvation which is to be considered as the end or 
recompense of faith, 1 Pet. i, 9. " Of which salvation," saith he, "the 
prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the 
grace that should come unto you : searching what, or what manner 
of time, the Spirit of Christ, which was in them, did signify, when it 



I 7 2 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 

testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should 
follow. Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto 
us, they did minister the things which are now reported unto you, by 
them that have preached the Gospel unto you, with the Holy Ghost 
sent down from heaven, which things the angels desire to look into," 
1 Pet. i, 10-12. " Happy are ye ! for the Spirit of glory and of God 
resteth upon you," 1 Pet. iv, 14. " Ye are a chosen generation, a 
peculiar people, that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath 
called you out of darkness into his marvellous light," 1 Pet. ii, 9. 

Without an experimental knowledge of these several states, a minister 
can no more lead sinners to evangelical perfection, than an illiterate 
peasant can communicate sufficient intelligence to his rustic companions, 
to pass an examination for the highest degree in a university. 

It may here be necessary to mark out the grand truths by which these 
dispensations are severally characterized. 

The common language under the dispensation of the Father is as 
follows : " God hath made of one blood all nations of men, and hath 
appointed the bounds of their habitation ; that they should seek the Lord, 
if haply they might feel after him and find him, though he be not far 
from every one of us," Acts xvii, 26, 27. " The grace of God that 
bringeth salvation, hath appeared [in different degrees] to all men," 
Tit. ii, 11. "For the living God is the Saviour of all men, especially 
of those that believe," 1 Tim. iv, 10. " God is no respecter of persons ; 
but in every nation he that feareth him and worketh righteousness, is 
accepted with him," Acts x, 34, 35. " Without faith it is impossible to 
please him : for he that cometh unto God must believe that he is, and 
that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him," Heb. xi, 6. 
" He hath showed thee, O man, what is good ; and what doth the Lord 
require of thee but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humblv 
with thy God ?" Micah vi, 8. 

Observe the language of the Son's dispensation, " Glory to God in the 
highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. I bring you good 
tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people : for unto you is born 
this day, in the city of David, a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord," 
Luke ii, 10-14. "Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ," John i, 17, 
" who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to 
light through the Gospel," 2 Tim. i, 10. " The hour cometh and now 
is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in Spirit and in 
truth," John iv, 23. " Ye believe in God, believe also in me," John 
xiv, 1. "If the Son shall make you fre '>, ye shall be free indeed," 
John viii, 36. " This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom 
he hath sent. No man can come unto me, except the Father, which 
hath sent me, draw him ; and every man that hath heard, and hath 
learned of the Father, cometh unto me," John vi, 29, 44, 45. " He 
that belie veth on the Son, hath everlasting life : and he that believeth 
not the Son, shall not see life ; but the wrath of God s,bideth on him," 
John iii, 36. 

The dispensation of the Spirit is again distinguished by the following 
peculiar language : " This is that which was spoken by the Prophet 
Joel : In the last days, [or under the last dispensations of my grace,] 
saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh, upon my servants. 



THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 173 

and upon my handmaidens : and they shall prophesy. Jesus, being by 
the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the 
promise of the Holy Ghost, hath shed forth this [plenitude of grace, the 
effects of] which you now see and hear. Repent, therefore, and be 
baptized every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remis- 
sion of sins, and ye shall receive the Holy Ghost. For the promise is 
unto you and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many 
as the Lord our God shall call," Acts ii, 16, 39. 

If at any time it is to be apprehended that believers are still carnal, 
and unrenewed by the Spirit of God, the pastor who is conversant with 
these different economies of grace, inquires with St. Paul, " Have ye 
received the Holy Ghost since ye believed?" Acts xix, 2. When 
others among his flock demonstrate, both by their conversation and 
conduct, that they are influenced by the Spirit of Christ, he exhorts them 
in a manner suitable to the glorious dispensation under which they live. 
" Ye are washed, ye are sanctified, ye are justified, in the name of the 
Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of God. Your body is the temple of the 
Holy Ghost ; therefore glorify God in your body and your spirit, which 
are God's," 1 Cor. vi, 11, 20. " Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, 
whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption," Eph. iv, 30. " Be 
filled with the Spirit ; speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns, and 
spiritual songs, making melody in your hearts unto the Lord," v, 18, 19. 
" Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give 
thanks," 1 Thess. v, 16-18. 

This language is too elevated for natural men, who understand it no 
more than illiterate persons comprehend the most abstruse parts of 
science. Hence it is necessary that the faithful minister should acquaint 
himself with the different conditions and capacities of all his hearers, if 
he would happily accommodate spiritual things to spiritual men. Without 
this knowledge, he will, under every dispensation, run the hazard of 
refusing to advanced Christians the solid nourishment they need, and of 
presenting to the natural man that celestial manna which his very soul 
abhors. 



The different dispensations are produced by that lovely variety with which 
the AlmigMy is pleased to distribute Ms favours. 

If the light of the Gospel had been due from God to every individual 
sinner ; if he had not been left entirely free, in every sense of the word, 
to impart it to whom, at what time, and in what degree soever was most 
pleasing to himself; his impartial justice would then have engaged him 
equally to illuminate all mankind, and he must have caused the Sun of 
righteousness, immediately after the fall, to have shone out in its meri- 
dian brightness. In such case, there would have been but one dispen- 
sation of grace ; mid the light of the Gospel would not have proceeded 
to its highest glory by such just gradations as are observable in all the 
productions of nature. 

But the Almighty has proceeded in the work of our redemption, ac- 
cording to the dictates of his own unerring wisdom, and not upon the 
plans of our pretended sage*. The day of the Gospel,, whether it be 



174 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. TAUL. 

considered as enlightening the world in general, or the heart in particu- 
lar, rises, like the natural day, from one degree of brightness to another, 
till all its glories are fully manifested. 

The confusion which many divines have spread over this part of 
theology, makes it necessary to go into particulars, that we may place 
in a just point of view, both the gradations and the harmony of those 
three dispensations, which collectively form the glorious Gospel of God. 
If some naturalists were determined to confine their observations upon 
the rainbow, to those lines in it that are manifestly red : if naturalists of 
another class were as obstinate in contemplating those of an orange hue ; 
and if others were as resolutely bent in singling out those of a blue 
colour, they would contradict and dispute with each other in as ridiculous 
a manner as many ignorant worshippers of the triune God are observed 
to do at this day. Thus Deists dispute for the honour of God the 
Creator ; and while some Christians pay all their homage to God the 
Redeemer, others are as wholly taken up with God the Sanctifier. 
Amid all the confusion of these jarring sentiments, the prudent pastor 
admits, in their proper place, the various dispensations of evangelical 
light, conducting his followers from faith to faith, till he beholds them 
illuminated with all the truths, and experiencing all the power of the 
Christian religion. 

We acknowledge that God is just, though the light of the natural sun 
approaches us only in a gradual manner, producing a constant variety 
both in our days and seasons. We do not accuse the Supreme Being 
of injustice, because he is not pleased to bring the fruits of the earth, 
in an instant, to their highest maturity ; or because the same species of 
fruit, which is esteemed for its delicious flavour in one climate, is found 
worthless and insipid in another. And if the Sovereign of the world is 
not expected to ripen, on a sudden, either the reason of individuals or 
the knowledge of nations, it should not be matter of surprise to observe 
him acting in his usual manner, with respect to things of a spiritual 
nature. His plans are all equally wise : but it is impossible for man to 
form a perfect judgment of them, unless the creature could stand for a 
moment in the place of the Creator, and take one comprehensive view 
of earth and heaven, time and eternity. If " one day is with the Lord 
as a thousand years," when he is pleased, in an unexpected manner, to 
fulfil his grand designs ; " and a thousand years as one day," 2 Pet. 
iii, 8, when he sees good to accomplish his purposes in a more gradual 
way ; why should it so strangely afflict and amaze us, that he has left 
the human race in a state of suspense, with regard to his unsearchable 
counsels, for near six thousand years 1 The time is coming when he 
will discover to us that stupendous plan, which, in our present circum- 
stances, we contemplate with every disadvantage ; and just as an 
animalcule, whose life is limited to six hours, would contemplate the plan 
of an immense palace, which a skilful architect had promised to com- 
plete in as many years. Supposing such an insect, endued with reason, 
and coming into existence during the night, should blindly crawl among 
the loose materials of which the intended edifice was to be constructed ; 
what opinion could it form either of the architect or his plan ? Would 
not this insignificant creature be led to judge of these matters as the pre- 
tended philosopher inconsiderately judges of that mysterious plan upon 



THE PORTRAIT OF ST* PAUL. 175 

which the Almighty is erecting the temple of truth, and creating an 
incorruptible world ? If the Creator thought it necessary to employ six 
days in completing the beauties of the material world ; and if the Re- 
deemer judges it expedient progressively to perfect the more lasting 
beauties of a spiritual world, during six of his more ample days ; how 
little reason have we to despise the comprehensive design ; especially 
when we consider six thousand years are far more inconsiderable in 
comparison with eternity, than six atoms in comparison with this ter- 
restrial globe ! 

Now, if such a plan is not only reasonable, but has been evidently 
adopted by Him who " giveth not account of any of his matters," Job 
xxxiii, 13 ; it is undoubtedly true, that those who have lived in different 
periods of time, have not been permitted to enjoy all the various truths 
which God has successively revealed to man. Nevertheless, it is equally 
certain that every man, in what period of time, and in what peculiar 
circumstances soever he found himself placed, has received sufficient 
light to discover, as well as sufficient power to perform, what God has 
been pleased to require at his hands. 

The day of evangelical truth is graciously allowed to all mankind, 
that they may thereby be assisted to discover, to love, and to obey their 
celestial Parent : and, finally, that they may reach the mark of their 
high destination, which is the enjoyment of those different degrees of 
blessedness which are reserved for the different classes of the faithful. 
Let us consider the morning of this sacred day. When the first man 
had extinguished in his heart the light of truth and the fire of charity — 
when he became sufficiently stupid to think of concealing himself from 
his God among the trees of the garden, and sufficiently impious to throw 
the blame of his offence upon his companion in transgression, instead of 
confessing his disobedience with all its aggravations — it is evident, that 
man was then without Christ, that is, without a Saviour, without " hope, 
and without God in the world," Eph. ii, 12. In that night of error and 
confusion, and probably of despair, the promise of a powerful Redeemer 
was given to our first parents, whence certain beams of hope were pro- 
duced, which formed the earliest twilight of the Gospel day. 

The tradition of this gracious promise, which was made to Adam and 
confirmed to Noah ; the natural law, which is nothing less than the 
remains of the Creator's image in the human heart; and the secret 
grace of the Redeemer, which is more or less operative in every man ; 
these collectively formed that evangelical dawn, which was for a long 
time universally experienced in the world, and which may with propriety 
be termed, either Gentilism, the religion of the first patriarch, the Gospel 
of the heathen, or the dispensation of the Father. In this low dispen- 
sation, and under these faint glimmerings of truth, the generality of 
mankind are still unhappily observed to live. And though clouds of 
prejudice, together with vain tradition, deprive Pagan nations, in part, of 
this inestimable light, yet sufficient remains among them for the direc- 
tion of those who are seeking after the light of a less obscure dispen- 
sation. 

When mankind had become almost universally unfaithful to the grace 
of Gentilism, and unmindful of the past vengeance of God in destroying 
the world ; when they had plunged themselves into the most impious 



176 THE rOItTRAIT OF ST. PAUL* 

excesses, and were wholly given up to the greatest idolatry; at that 
time the Almighty resolved to separate from the corrupted nations a 
single people, who should preserve among them the Divine worship in 
its purity ; a people, among whom the Messiah should be born, and who 
should spread around them both the expectation and the promise of so 
wonderful a Deliverer. Moses, Aaron, and Joshua, were the represent- 
atives of this extraordinary Person. Moses, as a prophet and legisla- 
tor ; Aaron, as a high priest appointed of God ; and Joshua, as an 
illustrious conqueror, dividing the kingdoms of Canaan among those who 
had followed him through the dangers of a tedious warfare. Thus the 
Jews became a preaching people to the rest of the world, preserving in 
it the light of the Father's dispensation, and preparing it for the farther 
dispensation of the Son : insomuch, that the expectation of a Divine 
Restorer was spread over many parts of the earth, as we learn from 
two Pagan historians,* whose testimony deserves credit. Nay, the 
Sibyls, and even Virgil himself, took occasion, from this general expec- 
tation, of applying to xiugustus the predictions of a sublime conqueror, 
who was to issue from the east, renewing the face of things. 

Judaism, then, seems to have been nothing more than the dispensation 
of the Father, though undoubtedly more luminous than it had formerly 
appeared before the calling of Abraham. The moral law, given by 
Moses, was but a new edition of the natural law, which had been given 
long before, and the ceremonial law was added thereto, as a farther con- 
firmation of the original promise. This was, however, a remarkable 
advance toward the dispensation of the Son and that of the Holy Ghost, 
since the mysteries of both were shadowed forth by the interior parts 
of the temple, by sacrifices, by ablutions, by anointings, by perfumes, 
by burning lamps, and sacred fires. 

The universal creed, under this ancient dispensation, still forms a part 
of that which is received among Christians. And there is no true wor- 
shipper under this economy but who Can say, with sincerity, " I believe 
in God, the Father Almighty, the Creator and Preserver of heaven and 
earth, the Avenger of sin, and the Rewarder of those who faithfully 
serve him. And I trust the time is coming when some Divine instructer 
will enable me more fully to know and obey this incomprehensible 
Father of the universe." May such an instructer soon appear! was 
the united prayers of Socrates and Plato. " Let him hasten his 
coming," says the true Jew, and the pious Theist, " under whatever 
appellation he may choose to appear. Let him be called the Seed of 
the woman, the Seed of Abraham, or the Son of David ; let his name 
be the Messiah, the Son of God, the Logos, Emmanuel, Joshua, Jesus, 
Saviour ; or only the Prophet, the Angel of the Covenant^ or the Mes- 
senger ol God ; it is of little consequence. If he bring but life and im- 
mortality to light, I will receive him with gratitude and joy." Such is 
the faith by which those Jews, Mohammedans, and Pagans, whose hearts 
are principled with humility, candour, and the fear of God, have been, 
and still continue to be, saved in every part of the world. For the 

* Percrebuerat Oriente toto vetus et constans opinio, esse in fatis ut Judea 
profecti rerum potirentur. — Suetonius. 

Pluribus persuasio inerat, antiquis sacerdotum libris contineri eo ipso tempore 
fore, ut valesceret Oriens, profectique Judea rerum potirentur. — Tacitus. 



TflE PORTRAIT OF SI. PAUL; 177 

Father of mercies, who knoweth whereof we are made, will no more 
absolutely condemn such worshippers, on account of the extraordinary 
respect they have discovered for Moses, Mohammed, and Confucius, 
than he will finally reject some pious Christians, for the sake of that 
excessive veneration which they manifest for particular saints and 
reformers. Nor will he punish either because their guides have mingled 
prejudice with truth, and legendary fables with the doctrines of theology. 

As a prudent physician proportions his medicines to the different ages 
and habits of his patients, so the enlightened pastor, who feels himself 
concerned for the spiritual health of his flock, sees it necessary to act 
with equal care and discretion. He preaches the dispensation of the 
Son to those who, like Socrates and Plato, are longing for a Divine 
instructor, as well as to those who, like Simeon, Nicodemus, and Cor- 
nelius, arc waiting for the consolation of Israel. He leads them either 
from the law of Moses, or from the law of nature, to the Gospel of 
Christ ; explaining, with precision, those parts of the New Testament, 
which exhibit the commencement of the Son's dispensation, together 
with all he taught and suffered, while he continued upon earth. 

Lastly, to such as have devoutly embraced this part of the Gospel, he 
publishes the glorious economy of the Holy Spirit, which was not fully 
opened till after the bodily appearance of the Redeemer was withdrawn 
from the world. Then it was that he descended in the fulness of the 
Spirit, directing and supporting his disciples, animating and sanctifying 
his members, and manifesting that kingdom of God, that dispensation of 
righteousness, peace, and joy, which is so largely treated of in the Acts 
and Epistles of the Apostles. 

These three dispensations have one common end. They mutually 
tend to manifest the different perfections of the Supreme Being, to raise 
man from his present low estate, and to perfect his nature. This three- 
fold design is apparent under the dispensation of the Father ; it unfolds 
itself more clearly under that of the Son ; and shines out with increas- 
ing lustre under that of the Holy Spirit. As it is one and the same 
sun that animates every thing in the natural world, so it is one and the 
same God who operates every thing in the kingdom of grace. He, 
whom we address as our heavenly Father, in that sacred form of prayer 
which is common among Christians, is the very God in whose name the 
ancient patriarchs were accustomed to bless their children. The Word, 
through which we address him, is no other than that " Light of the 
world," by which the antediluvian fathers were illuminated in their seve- 
ral generations : and the Holy Ghost, by which the souls of the faith- 
ful are divinely regenerated, is the same Spirit that primarily " moved 
upon the face of the waters," Gen. i, 2 ; of which also it was said in the 
days of Noah, " My Spirit shall not always strive with man," Gen. vi, 3. 

There never was a time in which the Son and the Spirit were not 
occupied in completing the salvation of believers. But there was a time 
when the Son became manifest upon the earth, making a visible display 
of his astonishing labours ; and then it was that his particular dispensa- 
tion had its commencement. So likewise there was a time when the 
Holy Ghost, more abundantly shed forth by the Father and the Son, 
began to work his mysterious operations in a more sensible manner , 
and at that time commenced the particular dispensation of the Spirit, 

Vol. III. 12 



178 ^| THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 

which serves to perfect the dispensation of the Son, as that of the Son 
was given to perfect the dispensation of the Father. 

These distinctions are founded upon reason, upon revelation, and upon 
the apostles' creed. 

1. Reason suggests, that mankind must for ever remain under the 
sovereignty of their omnipotent Creator, and accountable to him for the 
use they make of his innumerable favours. Reason farther discovers, 
that if man should admit the darkness of error into his understanding, 
and the fatal influence of sin into his will, he cannot possibly recover his 
pristine state, except through the manifestation of a new light, and the 
exertions of a stronger influence. But who shall produce the former, 
except that Saviour who is " the Light of the world," John viii, 12, or 
who shall supply the latter, except that energetic Spirit which " helpeth 
our infirmities ?" Rom. viii, 26. 

2. These distinctions are founded upon Fevelation. The volume of 
truth informs us, that the Creator foretold the coming of a Redeemer, 
and that the Redeemer, during his outward manifestation, proclaimed 
the near approach of " another Comforter," John xiv, 16, 17. It is un- 
doubtedly true, that some earnests of redeeming grace, together with 
the first limits of the Spirit, were experienced even by the most ancient 
inhabitants of the earth. It is true, also, that by means of those earnests 
and first fruits, many myriads of mankind have been saved in every 
age of the world. But it is no less true, that the plenitude of these 
sacred gifts was reserved to a very distant period of time ; since, after 
the first promise of a Redeemer was given, near four thousand years 
elapsed before he made his public appearance ; and while he continued upon 
earth, it is expressly said, that "the Holy Ghost was not yet given, [in 
its full measure,] because that Jesus was not yet glorified," John vii, 39. 

3. Christians are taught to distinguish these different degrees oi 
evangelical grace, and to rejoice in all the advantages of these three 
dispensations, when they are solemnly baptized in the name of the Father, 
the Son, and the Holy Ghost. And this they publicly profess to do, so 
often as they repeat the three principal articles of the apostles' creed. 
Happy would it be, if, through the demonstration of that Jloly Spirit, in 
which they affect to believe, they were enabled experimentally to con- 
fess their almighty Father and his redeeming Son. Every one of them 
might then thankfully add, " I experience the communion of saints and 
the forgiveness of sins : I joyful 1 y and confidently expect the resurrection 
of the body, and life everlasting." 

It is presumed, that no doctrines can come more strongly recom- 
mended to the consideration of professing Christians, than those which 
are undeniably founded upon reason and revelation, upon that outward 
form of baptism and that primitive creed, which are universally received 
in the Christian world. 

The attentive reader will easily perceive, that the difference between 
these several dispensations is formed by those different degrees in which 
the Redeemer is manifested. Under Gentilism and Judaism, or under 
the general and particular dispensations of the Father, the. Redeemer is 
both announced and expected ; he is announced by the Father's original 
promise, by tradition, by types, by prophecies ; and he is expected us a 
Saviour who shall sooner or later make b's appearance. Under the 



THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 179 

baptism of John, and under that imperfect Christianity which is received 
by a baptism of water, the Redeemer is apprehended, in some measure, 
by sense ; or by a faith which merely respects the history of the Gos- 
pel : but he is apprehended only as a Saviour manifested in the flesh, to 
accomplish the external act of redemption. It is otherwise tinder that 
perfect Christianity to which we are introduced by the mysterious bap- 
tism of the Spirit, in which the Redeemer is manifested after a manner 
abundantly more glorious. He is now received as coming in the Spirit, 
after having died for our sins and risen again for our justification. Now 
he performs the spiritual work of redemption in the soul, delivering his 
people from the power of sin, by communicating to them the special 
efficacy of his death, his resurrection, and his triumph. Henceforth he 
is a Comforter, not only with, but in us ; where he spiritually exercises 
his acknowledged offices, instructing, purifying, and finally subduing all 
things to himself. 



The different preachers under these different dispensations. 

Persuaded that confusion is the source of a thousand errors, the pru- 
dent minister endeavours to place the truths of the Gospel in their proper 
order ; and reflecting upon those preachers who have formerly pro- 
claimed them, he is enabled to produce something upon their separate 
testimonies which may serve to edify the different classes of his hearers. 
Thus St. Paul, when preaching to the Athenians, judged it convenient 
to cite one of their own poets rather than Moses ; and thus, in address- 
ing those teachers who leave the Gospel in order to set up a vain philo- 
sophy, the true minister may find it necessary to produce the description 
which Epictetus has given of a real philosopher. 

Every dispensation has had its peculiar preachers, and the pastor who 
is led into all truth is anxious to second these preachers, by publishing, 
in their proper place, those sacred truths which they have respectively 
delivered according to their different proportions of grace. 

The preachers, under the dispensation of the Father, are, 

1. The works of creation. " The heavens," saith David, " declare the 
glory of God, and the firmament showeth his handy work," Psalm xix, 1. 
" That which may be known of God," adds St. Paul, " is manifest," 
even among the heathen. " For the invisible things of him, from the 
creation of the world, are clearly seen, being understood by the things 
that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead : so that they are 
without excuse, because that when they knew God, they glorified him 
not as God," Rom. i, 19-21. 

2. Providence. " The living God," saith the apostle, " who, in times 
past, suffered all nations to walk in their own ways, left himself not 
without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven* 
and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness," Acts 
xiv, 15, 17. 

3. Those dreadful scourges with which an avenging God is con- 
strained to correct a rebellious world ; such as famine, pestilence? 
war, £$c. 

4. Reason; which is a ray from that Divine Word, that Eternal 



180 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 

Logos, that " true Light which lighteneth every man that cometh into 
the world." 

5. Conscience. "For the Gentiles," saith St. Paul, " which have not 
the law, [written by prophets and apostles,] are a law unto themselves ; 
their conscience bearing witness, and their thoughts accusing, or else 
excusing one another," Rom. ii, 14, 15. 

6. Enoch, Noah, and all the holy patriarchs who lived before the 
flood. 

7. All those pious persons who have inculcated the fear of God, and 
published the traditionary promise which was given to our first parents. 

8. The prophets and priests among the Jews, together with the sacred 
poets and true philosophers among the ancient heathens. 

9. Those priests who, among Jews, Mohammedans, and modern 
Pagans, recommend, with sincerity, holiness and the fear of God. 

And, lastly, all those preachers of Christendom, who, blind to the 
dispensations of the Son and the Spirit, fall back into Gentilism, deliver- 
ing only such moral essays as have been abundantly exceeded by phi- 
losophers of old. 

As this dispensation has ever had, and still continues to have, its 
celebrated preachers ; so it has frequently had, and may yet continue to 
have, its confessors and martyrs. If it were possible to come at the 
history of all those who have been eminently distinguished by their piety 
under this economy, and who have nobly suffered in the cause of godli- 
ness, we might probably discover many an Abel, and many a Zacharias, 
many an Aristides^ and many a Socrates, in every nation under heaven. 
In company with these amiable and honourable characters, the evan- 
gelical pastor is constantly observed, so far as they proceed in the high 
way of truth ; but he advances far beyond them when he would associate 
with the preachers of the Son's dispensation. 

The heralds of truth, under this dispensation, are, 

1. The priest, Zacharias, who announced the accomplishment of the 
promise which was made to the patriarchs, Luke i. 

2. The angel who first brought down the tidings of the Messiah's 
birth, in company with the multitude of the heavenly host, who attended 
him upon that extraordinary occasion. 

3. Those Jewish priests, who directed the Magi from Jerusalem to 
the city in which Christ was born. 

4. Those celestial voices which declared, upon Mount Tabor and 
on the banks of Jordan, that Jesus was the beloved Son of the Father. 

5. John the Baptist, who proclaimed Christ come in the flesh, and 
endeavoured to prepare the penitent for the dispensation of the Spirit. 

6. Those seventy disciples who were commissioned by our Lord to 
preach the Gospel. 

And, lastly, all those teachers of the present day who, like Apollos in 
the beginning of his ministry, perceive nothing beyond that inferior dis- 
pensation, of which an outward baptism is considered as the seal. 

Under the dispensation of the Spirit, the preachers are, 

1. The apostles, who entered upon their excellent ministry after being 
first miraculously endued with power from on high. 

2. All those ministers of the Gospel who, after receiving into their 
own hearts " the Spirit of adoption," Rom. viii, 15, proclaim the coming 



THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 181 

of that Spirit to those who have already experienced " repentance toward 
God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ," Acts xx, 21. Such 
ministers alone may be said to proclaim the spiritual kingdom of God ; 
and these alone can experimentally direct believers to the absolute fulfil- 
ment of every Gospel promise. The teachers of this day, instead of 
proclaiming the grand promise of Christianity, unhappily renounce that 
promise ; imagining that it merely respected the first followers of Jesus, 
or, at most, that it was confined to the earliest ages of the Christian 
Church. Far from publishing the Gospel in its abundant plenitude, 
these unskilful evangelists are not able to preach all that imperfect Gos- 
pel which in Scripture language is called "the baptism of John," Acts 
xviii, 25. John publicly announced the baptism of the Holy Ghost, and 
far from despising such baptism himself, he openly declared that he had 
"need to be baptized of Christ," Matt, hi, 14. Nevertheless, John was 
put to death before the promise of the Father was fully accomplished ; 
and on this account our Lord declared that the " least in the kingdom 
of heaven, [that is, the lowest under the dispensation of the Spirit, should 
be accounted] greater than he," Matt, x, 11. Yea, even the soldiers 
of Cornelius, after the Spirit had descended upon them, were assisted to 
publish the mysteries of that kingdom with greater clearness, and with a 
more lively conviction, than the forerunner of Jesus had ever done. 

That prophet doubted before his death, as well as all the apostles be- 
fore the day of pentecost. But under the dispensation of the Holy Spirit, 
the great truths of the Gospel are demonstrated by the power of an inter- 
nal evidence, which leaves in the heart no more room for doubt than a 
mathematical demonstration leaves room for hesitation in the mind. 
Farther : John the Baptist barely intimated the necessity of a spiritual 
baptism : but the most illiterate among the centurion's servants could 
say, " Christ has baptized me with the Holy Ghost and with fire ; and 
the promise, which he hath already fulfilled to me, who am a poor Gen- 
tile, he will as gloriously accomplish in favour of others, since the promise 
is given ' to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God 
shall call,' " Acts ii, 39. Thus, under this sublime dispensation, every 
faithful servant of the Lord is enabled to prophesy out of the fulness of 
his heart, and to speak the wonderful works of God. Thus also, every 
zealous minister, persevering in his pursuit after evangelical truth, be- 
comes, at length, of the same society with those who were the first and 
most effectual preachers of the everlasting Gospel. 



The dispensation of the Holy Spirit is now in force, and the minister wlvo 
preaches this dispensation cannot justly be esteemed an enthusiast. 

To reject the Son of God manifested in the Spirit, as worldly Chris- 
tians are universally observed to do, is a crime of equal magnitude with 
that of the Jews, who rejected Christ manifested in the flesh. Never- 
theless, in vain has the Apostle Paul informed us, that " Jesus Christ is 
a priest for ever, after the order of Melchisedec," Heb. vii, 17 ; "the 
same yesterday, to-day, and for ever," Heb. xiii, 8. In vain has John 
the Baptist declared, that " he shall baptize us with the Holy Ghost and 
with fire," Matt, iii, 11, In vain has Christ himself made a gracious 



182 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 

offer of this baptism to all nations, Matt, xxviii, 19. In spite of all these 
declarations, our incredulity still seeks out some plausible reason for 
rejecting the dispensation of the Spirit. 

So long as those perilous times shall continue which were foretold by 
St. Paul, 2 Tim. iii, 1, so long we may expect to behold multitudes of 
erring professors, who, like the ancient Pharisees, not only refuse to 
enter into the kingdom of God themselves, but resolutely withstand all 
those who are striving to enter in. These faithless Christians, resem- 
bling the timorous spies of old, are constantly prepared to discourage 
every persevering Israelite, by raising evil reports of their promised 
rest. Attached to this present degenerate world, as the wife of Lot was 
attached to her polluted city, they are ever insinuating, that there is little 
danger to be apprehended in their present situation. And as for that full 
dispensation of the Spirit, concerning which so many excellent things are 
spoken, they confidently assert, that it cannot be expected in the present 
time, without giving way to the highest presumption and folly. On these 
accounts it becomes absolutely necessary that the true minister should 
stand prepared to give every man a solid answer, " that asketh a reason 
of the hope that is in him," 1 Pet. iii, 15. 

That the extraordinary gifts of the Holy Spirit were peculiarly neces- 
sary to the apostles, and that they were actually put in possession of such 
gifts, we readily allow. But, at the same time, we consider those gifts 
as entirely distinct from the Spirit itself. When the Spirit of grace takes 
the full possession of a particular person, he may, if the edification of the 
Church requires it, bestow upon that person some extraordinary gift in 
an instantaneous manner : as the prince, who honours any subject with 
an important commission, invests him with sufficient power for the exe- 
cution of such commission. But the presents of a prince do not always 
demonstrate his actual presence ; since it is very possible for a prince to 
lodge with one of his subjects, upon whom he has conferred no inesti- 
mable favour, while he makes a magnificent present to another, whom 
he has never condescended to visit in person. Thus the Holy Spirit de- 
scended upon Mary the mother of Jesus, together with several other holy 
women, as well as upon the apostles, with whom they continued in earnest 
supplication and prayer : nevertheless, it does not appear that any one 
of them received even the gift of tongues. On the other hand, we are 
well assured, that many persons, who never received the Spirit of holi- 
ness, were yet outwardly distinguished by several extraordinary gifts of 
the Holy Ghost. The first king of Israel gave rise to that memorable 
proverb, "Is Saul also among the prophets?" 1 Sam. x, 12. Jonah, 
though he possessed neither the faith nor the charity which are common 
to many Christians of this age, was yet commissioned to visit Nineveh 
with an extraordinary message from heaven. And we are informed that 
Judas was endued with the power of performing miracles, as Balaam had 
before been honoured with the gift of prophecy. But, notwithstanding 
these externa] appearances, we may rest assured, that neither Saul, nor 
Balaam, nor Judas, had fully experienced that happy estate which the 
meanest among the primitive Christians was permitted to enjoy. When, 
therefore, we assert, that every sincere believer becomes a " temple of 
the Holy Ghost," 1 Cor. vi, 19 ; it is not to be understood by such ex- 
pression^ that they have received the power of working miracles : since 



THE POSTBAIT OF ST. PAUL. 183 

in this sense St. Paul himself was not always replenished with the 
Spirit. But it should rather be understood, that the same Spirit of hu- 
mility, of zeal, of faith, and of charity, which so eminently dwelt in 
Christ, continually flows from him to the meanest of his spiritual mem- 
bers, as the sap is known to pass from the trunk of a vine into the least 
of its branches, John xv, 5. 

The Old and New Testament sufficiently prove, that the special influ- 
ences of the Spirit are to be universally experienced by the faithful in 
every age. Isaiah promises this invaluable blessing to those who are 
athirst for God, Isaiah xliv, 3. Ezekiel announces the same blessing, in 
a variety of passages, to all those who enjoy the privileges of the new 
covenant. The Prophet Joel more directly promises the extraordinary 
effusion of the Holy Spirit, to " the young and the old [among the people 
of God ; to] their sons and their daughters, their servants and their hand- 
maids," Joel ii, 28, 29. John the Baptist expressly repeats the same 
promise to all those who partake of his inferior baptism, Luke iii, 16 
Our Lord invites every believer freely to come and receive the long-ex- 
pected blessing, John vii, 37, 39. St. Peter unreservedly offers it to the 
truly penitent, Acts ii, 38 ; and St. Paul every where declares that it is 
the common privilege of Christians to " be filled with the Spirit," Eph. 
v, 18 ; 1 Cor. vi, 19. Nay, he even intimates, that the name of Chris- 
tian should be refused to those who have not received the promise of the 
Father, Rom. viii, 9. These few passages abundantly testify, how 
strangely those professors deceive themselves, who confidently affirm 
that the Holy Spirit was promised to the apostles alone. 

Revelation is no sooner admitted, but reason itself confirms the very 
truth for which we contend. Why was the Holy Spirit to be poured out 
in its full measure upon the first followers of Christ ? If in order to their 
sanctification ; have we less need of holiness than the apostles had ? If 
it was to shed abroad in their hearts the love of God ; is that love less 
necessary for us than for them ? If to make intercession for them with 
groanings which cannot be uttered ; were the apostles supposed to stand 
in greater need of such intercession than all other men ? Lastly, if the 
Holy Ghost was given, that believers might be enabled to cry out, 
" Who shall separate us from the love of Christ 1 Shall tribulation, per- 
secution, or death 1 O death, where is thy sting ? O grave, where is 
thy victory 1 Thanks be to God, who giveth us the victory, through 
our Lord Jesus Christ," — if so, then it should seem, that the apostles 
alone were called to suffer and die in a manner so perfectly worthy of 
Christians. 

The more we meditate upon the Scriptures of truth, the more we shall 
be convinced that the experience of real Christians, and the reason of 
natural men, coincide with that sacred volume, in demonstrating that the 
grand promise of a Comforter must respect every sincere believer, as 
well as the first disciples of Jesus. To reject, then, this precious gift, 
is to trample under foot the pearl of great price, and to despise the Re- 
deemer himself in that spiritual appearance, which is of far greater im- 
portance to us than his outward manifestation in Judea. Farther : to in- 
sinuate among Christians, that the promise of Christ's spiritual coming 
is no longer in force, is to enervate the glorious Gospel of God, and to 
maintain in his Church that detestable lukewarmness, which will ulti* 



184 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL, 

mately prove the ground of its condemnation. It is to surpass the Jews 
in their obstinate rejection of our only Lord and Saviour. There was 
no need, says the incredulous Jew, that the Messiah should suffer and 
die for our sins : nor is there any need, says the carnal Christian, that 
£he Saviour should come in a spiritual manner to reign in my heart. 
The one destroys the body, the other the soul, of Christianity ; and both 
are equally strangers to the renovating power of the Gospel. 

The true minister, struck with the magnitude of this sin, so general in 
the present day, incessantly labours for the restoration of those who are 
deeply plunged in so destructive an error. 



Tlie evangelical pastor defends the dispensation of the Spirit against 
aU opposers. 

Whatever dispensation of grace the true "minister announces, he 13 
constrained, with St. Paul, to brandish his spiritual weapons on the right 
nand and on the left. If he publishes the dispensation of the Father, he 
finds it necessary to defend its important truths against the daringly pro- 
fane on the one hand, and on the other against the vainly superstitious. 
When he preaches the dispensation of the Son, he has still greater ocoa«. 
sion to arm himself, in every part, in defence of the doctrine he main- 
tains. On the left hand he is attacked either by Deists, who wholly dis- 
claim all ideas of a Saviour ; or by Socinians, who despoil that Saviour 
of his greatest glory ; and on the right he is assailed by ill-instructed 
Christians, who, under pretence of exalting the Son, look down with 
contempt upon the dispensation of the Father ; not considering that by 
this error they oppose one principal design of Christ's appearing, which 
was, that we might worship the Father in spirit and in truth. But it is 
chiefly with respect to the third dispensation that the Christian preacher 
is constrained to wield, without ceasing, that " sword of the Spirit," and 
that " shield of faith," Eph. vi, 16, 17, with which St. Paul was so 
anxious to see every Christian armed. As this doctrine is abundantly 
more elevated than the preceding dispensations, so it stands more ex- 
posed to the shafts of innumerable enemies. On the left it is incessantly 
attacked by carnal professors, and on the right by fanatical zealots. 
These two classes of adversaries, though continually at war with each 
other, unhappily agree in opposing, either directly or indirectly, the pro- 
gress of this glorious dispensation, obliging the faithful minister with 
equal intrepidity to combat both. 

Observe the grand argument with which carnal Christians carry on 
this opposition. " The Comforter," say they, " which was graciously 
promised to our Lord's first disciples, was undoubtedly received by those 
highly -favoured missionaries, and conducted them into all the truths of 
the Gospel. From this Divine Spirit they received continual assistance in 
spreading that Gospel, and by him they were endued with those miracu- 
lous gifts which served as so many incontestable marks of their sacred 
mission. But as Christianity is at this time firmly established in the 
World, the letter of the Holy Scriptures is now abundantly sufficient for 
every purpose ; and there is no longer any necessity for that baptism 



THE P0BTRA1T OF ST, PAUL. 185 

and illumination of the Spirit, which were evidently requisite among the 
primitive Christians." 

As the mistaken Jews, perfectly satisfied with the law of Moses, in- 
scribed upon tables of stone, rejected, with obstinacy, the promised Mes- 
siah : so these carnal Christians, contented with the letter of the New 
Testament, perversely reject the " Holy Spirit of promise," Eph. i, 13. 
" Search the Scriptures ; for they testify of me," John v, 39, was our 
Lord s exhortation to these deluded formalists. And the true minister 
continues to press the same exhortation upon those who blindly oppose 
the coming of Christ's spiritual kingdom. He is anxious, with his hea- 
venly Master, to put the matter upon this issue ; fully conscious, that 
they who peruse those sacred pages with an unprejudiced mind, must 
readily observe, that, instead of superseding the necessity of a spiritual 
baptism, they give ample testimony that such baptism is to be considered 
as a privilege freely offered to the whole multitude of believers. 

When Christians affirm that the manifestation of the Spirit is no longer 
to be sought aft er, except in that mysterious volume which promises this 
manifestation to the Church ; modern Jews might as well declare that 
they look for no other manifestation of their Messiah, than that which is 
to be found in those books of Moses and the prophets, where the coming 
of that Messiah is repeatedly promised. But if it be said, *' The Spirit 
of Christ was fully given to his first disciples, and that is sufficient for 
us ;" this argument has in it as great absurdity as the following method 
of reasoning : " Moses instructs us, that God created the sun, and that 
the patriarchs were happily enlightened by it : but the supreme illumi- 
nation of that sun is no longer to be discovered, except in the writings 
of Moses ; and those labourers are downright enthusiasts, who imagine 
they need any other rays from that luminary, except such as are reflected 
upon them from the book of Genesis. The Scripture informs us, that 
God commanded the earth to produce a variety of fruits and plants for 
the nourishment of its inhabitants ; covenanting, on Ins part, to send re- 
freshing rains and convenient seasons. " But we do not five," exclaims 
a rational farmer, " in the season of miracles, nor am I enthusiastic 
enough to expect that rain shall be sent upon the earth. Mention in- 
deed is made, in ancient history, of the former and the latter rain ; and 
the books which speak of these fructifying showers, and promise a con- 
tinuance of them to the latest posterity, are undoubtedly authentic : 
nevertheless, all the rain we can now reasonably expect, must flow from 
these books alone, and from those speculations which our reason can 
make upon the truths they contain." Who will not smile at such a 
method of reasoning as this ? 

In those things which respect our temporal interests, we are not stupid 
enough to be deluded by such wretched sophisms, though we frequently 
deceive both ourselves and others, with regard to spiritual things, by 
arguments no less palpably absurd. " God," says the orthodox pro- 
fessor, " undoubtedly caused the Sun of righteousness so effectually to 
shine upon believers, on the day of pentecost, that they were instanta- 
neously baptized " with the Holy Ghost and with fire." A celestial 
shower, at that time, refreshed the Church ; and the mystic vine, ma- 
tured on a sudden, by the direct rays of so glorious a luminary, was 
assisted to produce, internally, all the graces, and, externally, all the 



186 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 

fruits of the Spirit. But such extraordinary phenomena, which accom- 
panied that dazzling sun, and those gracious showers, have long ago 
disappeared. Nay, that sun itself is totally eclipsed, with respect to us ; 
and the book, which bears testimony to the constant influence of that 
sun, and the endless duration of those showers, now absolutely stands in 
the place of both." Ridiculous divinity ! And shall they be called en- 
thusiasts who oppose such absurdities as these ? Then fanaticism may 
be said to consist in making a rational distinction between the pearl of 
great price and the testament that bequeaths it ; between that sacred 
volume, in which the Comforter is merely promised, and the actual pre- 
sence of that Comforter in the heart. To pretend that we have no longer 
any need of the Spirit of Christ, because we are in possession of an 
incomparable book, which declares, that " if any man have not the Spirit 
of Christ, he is none of his," Rom. viii, 9, is not this to destroy, at once, 
both the letter and spirit of the Gospel ? And when we see those Chris- 
tians who profess the utmost respect for revelation, deriding, without fear, 
the manifestation of that Spirit, by which alone ; ' the love of God [can 
be] shed abroad in our hearts," Rom. v, 5, what judgment can we form 
of such persons, but that they are disposed to treat the Gospel of our 
glorified Master as Judas once treated its persecuted Author ? Whatever 
air of devotion they may assume, while they salute the exterior of it, 
their secret intention is to betray the very life of the Gospel to derision 
and infamy. By arguments of this nature it is that Christian ministers 
are frequently obliged to defend the dispensation of the Spirit from the 
outrageous attacks of carnally-minded Christians. 

But there are times in which the faithful pastor finds it equally neces- 
sary to defend this part of his doctrine against high and fanatical pro- 
fessors. In every Christian country there are not wanting such as have 
rendered the dispensation of that Spirit contemptible, by their ridiculous 
and impious pretensions. Protestants have blushed for the prophets of 
Cevennes, and Catholics for the Convulsion aries of Paris. In order 
successfully to oppose the progress of enthusiasm, he publicly contrasts 
the two different characters of a presumptuous fanatic and an enlightened 
Christian, in some such terms as follow. The one extinguishes the torch 
of reason, that he may have opportunity to display, in its room, the vain 
flashes of his own pretended inspirations ; the other entertains a just 
respect for reason, following it as the surest guide, so far as it is able to 
direct him in the search of truth ; and whenever he implores a superior 
light, it is merely to supply the defects of reason. The one destroys the 
clear sense of Scripture language, that a way may be made for his own 
particular manifestations : the other refers eyery thing " to the law, and 
to the testimony," fully satisfied, that if high pretenders to sanctity " speak 
not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them," Isa. 
viii, 20. The former flatters himself, that while the means are neglected, 
the end may be obtained, presuming that God will illuminate him in a 
miraculous manner, without the help of prayer, study, meditations, ser- 
mons, or sacraments. The latter unpresumingly expects the succours 
of grace, in a constant use of the appointed means ; and, conscious that 
"the Holy Scriptures are able to make him wise unto salvation," 2 Tim. 
iii, 15, he takes them for the subject of his frequent meditation, the ground 
of his prayers, and the grand rule of his conduct. The fanatic imagines 



THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 137 

himself independent of superior powers both in Church and state. The 
real Christian, a constant friend to truth and order, looking upon himself 
as the servant of all, not only acknowledges the respect due to his supe- 
riors, but is ready to give them an account either of his faith or his 
conduct, with meekness and submission ; and anxious to have his prin- 
ciples supported by appeals to the reason and conscience of his adver- 
saries, as well as by the testimony of revelation. The fanatic pays but 
little regard to the inestimable grace of charity, Like Simon, the sor- 
cerer, he aspires after the extraordinary gifts of the Spirit, and, seduced 
by a vain imagination, forsakes the substance that he may pursue the 
shadow. The true Christian, without despising the most inconsiderable 
spiritual gifts, implores only those which may assist him in the discharge 
of his several duties, and peculiarly that of charity, which is to be ranked 
as high above the performance of miracles, as miracles are to be esteemed 
above the tricks of jugglers. The fanatic conceives himself to be ani- 
mated by the Spirit of God, when his body is agitated by a rapid motion 
of the animal spirits, excited by the sallies of an overheated imagination 
and augmented by hysterical or hypochondriacal vapours. The judicious 
Christian detests this enthusiasm, which, covering religion with a veil of 
delusion and frenzy, renders it contemptible in the eyes of those who are 
ever ready to treat devotion as fanaticism. 

When the true minister unhappily falls among persons who evidence 
a disposition to enthusiasm, carrying mortification to an unwarrantable 
excess, publicly uttering long and passionate prayers, produced with the 
most violent efforts, he calls their attention to that beautiful passage in 
the histoiy of Elijah, where God is represented as manifesting himself, 
neither in the wind, the earthquake, nor the fire ; but in a still small voice. 
To inspire them with a just horror for this kind of fanaticism, he points 
them to those contemptible characters whose conduct they are unwit- 
tingly copying, and exhorts them to leave the horrible custom of " crying 
with a loud voice," together with every other species of religious extra- 
vagance, to the superstitious priests of Baal. If it be necessary, he even 
applies those sarcastic expressions of Elijah, " Cry aloud," &c. In per- 
forming this part of his duty, he is anxious, however, to act with the 
utmost discretion ; not ridiculing the fanatical with an irreverent light- 
ness, but exhorting them with all possible affection and solemnity. It 
appears, from the writings of St. Paul, that enthusiasm had once risen 
to so great a height in the Corinthian Church, that the communion was 
polluted by the members of that Church, and its public ordinances thrown 
into the utmost disorder. Now, if the apostle had himself been an enthu- 
siast, he would have seen these disorders without regret ; or had he been 
like the ministers of the present day, he would have rejoiced at the pre- 
text afforded him bj/ the fanatical Corinthians, for turning into ridicule 
devotion and zeal, the power of prayer, and the gift of exhortation. But, 
equally attached both to order and zeal, he wrote to them in the follow- 
ing terms : " I would that ye all spake with tongues, but rather that ye 
prophesied : for he that prophesieth edifieth the Church. Forasmuch, 
then, as ye are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that ye may excel to the 
edifying of the Church. Brethren, be not children in understanding, but 
men. Ye may all prophesy, that all may learn, and all may be com- 
forted." And observe this, that " the spirits of the prophets are subject 



188 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 

to the prophets : for God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as 
in all Churches of the saints. If any man think himself to be a prophet, 
or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things I write unto you are the 
commandments of the Lord. Let all things be done decently, and in 
order," 1 Cor. xiv* It is by adopting the admirable method of this 
apostle, that the good pastor endeavours to root up the tares of enthusiasm, 
without injuring the invaluable grain of devotion. 

Here it may, perhaps, be inquired, " If particular manifestations of 
the Spirit are admitted, how is it possible to shut the door against dan- 
gerous illusions ? Would it not be wiser entirely to reject the dispensation 
of the Spirit, while it is confessedly attended with so many difficulties? 
And would it not make for the happiness of the Church, were every 
member of it to rest contented with having all the Holy Scriptures 
explained according to the best rules of reason and criticism?" We 
answer, By no means. Bad money, indeed, is frequently put into our 
hands ; but is it necessary, on this account, to obstruct the free course 
of that which is intrinsically good ? And would it be reasonable to refuse 
a sovereign prince the right of coining for the state, lest that coin should 
be counterfeited or defaced ? As, in society, after warning the public 
of their danger, we content ourselves with apprehending the man who 
attempts to impose upon us in this way ; so we may rest fully satisfied 
with adopting the same mode of conduct in regard to the Church of God. 

Let it be here observed, that the operations of the Holy Spirit upon 
the hearts of believers are to be distinguished from the effects of enthu- 
siasm in the imagination of visionaries, just as readily as we distinguish 
health from sickness, wisdom from folly, and truth from falsehood. The 
believers of Rome could say, " The Spirit itself beareth witness with our 
spirit, that we are the children of God," Rom. viii, 16. "By one Spirit 
,are we all baptized," say the Corinthians, " and have been all made to 
drink into one Spirit," 1 Cor. xii, 13. And St. Paul could testify, that 
many of the Ephesians were " sealed by the Holy Spirit of God, unto 
the day of redemption," Eph. iv, 30. " These were all enthusiasts," 
says a modern doctor, " unless they could restore sight to the blind, raise 
the dead from their graves, and fluently converse in a variety of lan- 
guages, which they had never taken the trouble to study." No, insinuates 
the apostle, you forget the essential for the accessory, and found your 
system upon false suppositions. " Are all workers of miracles ? Have 
all the gifts of healing ? Do all speak with tongues ?" There must, then, 
be some more indubitable method of distinguishing those whose bodies 
are become temples of the Holy Ghost ; and " I show unto you this more 
excellent way," 1 Cor. xii, 29-31. What was meant by this excellent 
way, may be satisfactorily discovered by an attentive perusal of the fol- 
lowing chapter, in which the apostle would have the examination to 
turn, not upon the gift of prophecy, and much less that of languages, but 
essentially upon all the characters of charity. This was the reasoning 
of Augustine, as well as of St. Paul, when he made use of the following 
expression : " You then speak from the Spirit of God, when you speak 
from a heart glowing with love."* This also was the method in which 
Christ himself was accustomed to argue on this point. " Beware," said 

* Dq Spiritu dicis> si dicis ardens ign-e caritatis.-^-Augnstinc. 



THE POflTRAIT OF ST. PAUt. 189 

he, " of false prophets. Every good tree bringeth forth good fruit. 
Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them," Matt, vii, 15, 20. And 
" the fruit of the Spirit," continues St. Paul, " is love, joy, peace, long 
suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance," Gal. v, 22, 
23. Now fanaticism was never known to bear such fruits as these. On 
the contrary, it produces divisions, foolish joy, or stupid melancholy, 
trouble, impatience, and excess of different kinds. Nay, it is frequently 
observed to produce assertions diametrically opposite both to Scripture 
and reason, together with absurd pretensions to new revelations. 

It may be asked, in this place, with a show of reason, " If Christ 
still continues to reveal himself by his Spirit to every true believer, are 
not such manifestations to be considered as so many new revelations V 
To this we reply, That when the apostle of the Gentiles petitioned for his 
Ephesian converts, " the Spirit of wisdom and revelation," Eph. i, 17, 
he was not to be understood as requesting that God would communicate 
to them a new Gospel, but rather that he would assist them to discover 
all the glory, and to experience all the power of that inestimable Gos- 
pel which had been already published among them. " Open mine eyes," 
said David, " that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law," Psalm 
cxi, 10, 18. And when God was graciously pleased to answer this 
prayer of the royal prophet, he undoubtedly visited him with the illumi- 
nation of his Holy Spirit. But that Spirit was imparted, not for the 
purpose of revealing to him a new law, but merely that he might be 
enabled to fathom the depths of that holy law, which had been given 
long before. Thus also Christian believers are constantly offering up' 
their joint supplications, that God would strengthen them " by his Spirit 
in the inner man," not for the experience of new revelations, but " that 
they may be enabled to comprehend, with all saints, the unsearchable 
love of Christ ; and be filled with all the fulness of God," Eph. iii, 
16,19. 

After having defended internal Christianity against carnal Christians 
and deluded fanatics, the faithful pastor is obliged, on another part, to 
resist the attacks of gainsaying philosophers. And this he endeavours 1 
to do, by reasoning with them upon this important subject in the follow, 
ing manner : — 

We consider the Supreme Being as a Divine Sun, whose centre is ; 
every where, and whose circumference is no where. A Sun, whose 1 
light is truth, and whose heat is charity. The truths of Christianity we J 
consider as so many beams issuing from this glorious Sun, for the illu- 
mination of the soul : and as the rays of the natural sun may be col- 
lected and rendered more powerful by the interposition of a properly 
constructed medium, so the rays of this Divine Sun are concentred 
and rendered more operative by the humanity of Christ. When any of 
these rays, passing through the understanding, begin to strike forcibly 
upon the heart, they melt down its stubbornness, refine its nature, and 
kindle in it a fire of love to God and man. Farther : we believe these 
changes to be effected in the soul by that secret energy which is called 
by many " the inspiration of the Holy Spirit," by some the " influence* 8 
of that Spirit, and by others " the grace of God." 

Is there any absurdity in this doctrine ? Can the intellectual world 
be supposed to merit the Creator's attention in a less degree than the 



190 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUIa 

material world? If the rays of light that incessantly issue from the 
sun are supposed to pass through many millions of miles in a single 
moment, for the illumination and support of the material world, should 
it appear incredible, that the most speedy and effectual succours may be 
imparted to holy souls, by that more glorious Sun, which enlightens and 
vivifies the intellectual world ? From the cedar of Lebanon to the moss 
that covers its bark, no plant can vegetate ; from the astronomer, who 
measures the heavens, to the animalcule that loses itself in the cup of a 
violet as in a vast abyss, not a creature can exist, but through the all- 
pervading influence of the natural sun. Beneath this wonderful star, 
not a single animal is found, which carries in itself its grand principle of 
light, heat, and motion. And if all organized bodies depend upon this 
indescribable luminary for their existence, their increase, and their per- 
fection ; may we not reasonably argue from the rules of analogy, that 
as certainly as there is a spiritual world, so there must be a spiritual 
Sun, which carries life and light to the inhabitants of that world ? 

Do you act in a rational manner, continues the true minister, if, be- 
cause you cannot comprehend how this Sun may be said to act upon 
spirits, you shut your eyes against his light, and obstinately deny his 
very existence ? Can you comprehend how the material sun, without 
suffering any decay in himself, is continually darting around him rays 
sufficient to illumine and cheer revolving worlds ? Can you explain how 
these rays are impelled by such amazing velocity, through the immense 
space by which that sun is separated from those worlds ? Or can you 
describe the means by which they awaken in us the sensation of sight ? 
Moreover, is it not absurd to suppose that the Almighty is more soli- 
citous that we should perceive the difference between white and black, 
than that we should discover the more important distinctions between 
virtue and vice, truth and error ? 

If you object, that the material sun is plainly perceived, and the 
power of his beams universally felt by mankind, it may be replied, that 
he is not always discoverable. Sometimes he is eclipsed ; frequently 
he is enveloped with thick clouds ; and at other times his rays glance 
upon us in so oblique a manner, that their influence is scarcely percepti- 
ble. It is possible also to exclude his light by means of curtains or 
walls, and the cataract effectually opposes his most direct beams. In the 
moral world there are obstacles of a similar nature, which frequently 
obstruct the course of celestial light. Clouds of error and vice are 
constantly rising around us, which, by obscuring the Sun of righteous- 
ness, leave room for the incredulous to doubt of his existence. The 
eye is, in general, so much dazzled with the glare of material objects, 
that it cannot discover the lustre of a different light. Sometimes, invin- 
cible prejudice, like a confirmed cataract, intercepts the strongest rays 
of truth : and at other times, we are so closely shut up within the nar* 
row limits of self love, that the most piercing beams of uncreated love 
cannot penetrate into our gloomy retirement, where that spark of reason, 
which might have directed us to a higher light, is, at length, totally 
extinguished. 

The light of the Gospel is never absolutely rejected, but through the 
influence of sin, according to those words of Christ, " Every one that 
doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds 



THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 19- 

should be reproved," John iii, 20. And here we see the cause, why so 
many persons cast themselves headlong into materialism, denying the 
inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and treating every impression of his power 
as the workings of a disordered brain. But as the testimony of blind men 
can never persuade a reasonable person that he is under a delusion, 
while he sees, feels, and admires the material sun ; so the joint testi- 
mony of all the incredulous men in the world may justly be counted of 
as little force, when they would prove Scriptural illumination to be 
downright fanaticism. Notwithstanding all the impotent arguments 
that can be brought against him, the Christian believer deserves not to 
be esteemed an enthusiast, when he declares that " faiih is the evidence 
of things not seen ;" since he has reason and revelation to plead in his 
favour, his own experience, and that of his brethren, together with the 
universal testimony of the primitive Church. 

As you do not rank with professed Atheists, it is probable that you 
sometimes pray to the Supreme Being. Among other blessings, you 
implore of him, in a peculiar manner, patience to sustain those afflictions 
which are necessary to the perfection of virtue. Now if you are per- 
suaded that God is able not only to hear, but to strengthen you with his 
might : and, farther, if you believe that when he thus strengthens you 
for the day of affliction, you shall have any perception of his influencing 
power ; we are then perfectly agreed. But if you pray without a con- 
fidence that God attends to your prayer, and without ever expecting to 
receive the assistance you implore of him, you act like persons deprived 
of their reasoning powers. Through the fear of praying like enthu- 
siasts, you pray after the manner of idiots, and aiford as manifest a 
token of extravagant folly, as though you should entreat tempests to grow 
calm, or beseech rivers to return to their sources. It is by such a 
method of reasoning that the true minister resists the attacks of pre- 
judiced philosophers, solicitous to make it appear that the sanctifying 
and consoling operations of the Holy Spirit are as conformable to reason, 
as they are correspondent to our urgent necessities. 

But, if it still be urged by the enemies of inspiration, that we have no 
distinct idea of the manner in which any knowledge is conveyed to tha 
soul, except by means of our reason, or our senses ; and that to speak 
of things, which will admit of no clear explanation, is running into the 
wildest enthusiasm : no, returns the faithful pastor, it is not usual to 
esteem that man an enthusiast who is employed in bestowing alms upon 
the poor, though he can neither explain to us how his gold was produced 
in the mine, how his will actuates his hand, or how the feelings of 
charity are excited in his bosom. If nature operates every thing in a 
mysterious manner, it is unreasonable to expect that the operations of 
grace should be conducted in a less mysterious way. This is one of 
the arguments proposed by our Lord to Nicodemus : " Except a man 
be born of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." But, 
it may be, you have no comprehension of spiritual things : marvel not, 
however, at this ; since there are many things above your comprehen- 
sion in the natural world. " The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou 
nearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, anc. 
whither it goeth ; so is every one that is born of the Spirit :" they prove 
the operations of that Spirit by incontestable effects, though they are 



192 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL, 

unacquainted with many things, respecting the manner in which those 
effects are produced, John iii, 5, 8. 

We may here very properly apply what Professor Vernet has said 
concerning the manner in which God has frequently manifested the truth 
to his prophets. " It is easy to conceive," says this judicious divine, 
" that He who created the soul as well as the body, and who for that 
reason is called the Father of spirits, can never be at a loss for adequate 
means of communicating to Us, when he judges it neeessary, ideas and 
discoveries wholly different from those which we are able to acquire 
either by our own powers, or through the assistance of other persons. 
If the most ignorant classes of men are acquainted with the art of recipro- 
cally communicating their thoughts to each other ; how much more may 
we imagine that God is able to act upon the soul, both externally and 
internally ; he who has already placed Within us some confused notions 
of primitive truth ; he who holds second causes in his hands, and ani- 
mates all nature." (Verite de la Religion Chretienne, torn. I.) 

But if it be asked, " Are not prophets, properly so called, the only 
persons whom God is pleased to privilege with such impressions as are 
formed by the seal of his Spirit ?" It might, with equal propriety, be 
inquired, whether the apostles alone were privileged with that evangelical 
faith, which respects invisible and incomprehensible things, Heb. xi, 1, 
"A soul," says the illustrious Crousaz, "upon which the Spirit of God 
has moved, muses upon her Creator with ineffable delight, and contem- 
plates her Redeemer with a mixture of gratitude, admiration, and trans- 
port. O my God ! such a soul is incessantly crying out, When shall I 
see thy face ? When shall thy light illuminate me, without one dark- 
ening cloud ? To approach thee is my only happiness. Happy they 
who praise thee without ceasing." 

" I acknowledge," continues this Christian philosopher, " that these 
may be the natural effects of that attention, with which the Spirit of 
God has graciously fixed our minds Upon those objects, which revelation 
presents to our view, and upon which it directs us to occupy our thoughts. 
But I am not afraid of going beyond the truth when I add, that the 
Spirit of God, by his own immediate agency*- may inspire the soul with 
this sacred taste and these exalted sentiments. Corporeal objects act 
upon the organs of sense by a power which they undoubtedly receive 
from God. This may, in some measure, be understood : but in what 
manner their action passes from thence upon the soul, is a mystery too 
obscure to admit of an explanation. Christian philosophers have con- 
ceived, that the will of God, and some established order of his appoint- 
ment, are the only cause of those internal sentiments, of which these 
impressions upon the outward organs are but the occasion. This being 
the case, under what pretext can we refuse to believe that the Spirit of 
God may give rise to such sentiments in the soul, as are abundantly 
more conformable to the nature of their holy cause, than those ordinary 
sentiments, which are, nevertheless, referred to the will of God, as their 
first and true cause ? Such are those sentiments which St. Paul so ear- 
nestly solicited for his followers at Ephesus, and for the increase of 
which he implored upon them the influence of the Holy Spirit," Eph. 
iii, 14, 21. (See Professor Crousaz 1 s sermon upon 2 Cor. xiii, 14.) 

Such also are those impressions, motions, and aids of the Holy Spirit, 



THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL* 193 

both mediate and immediate, for which we offer up so many ardent 
supplications in different parts of our public service. Every Christian 
liturgy is filled with petitions of this nature ; petitions which are equally 
conformable to the principles of Christianity, the voice of reason, and 
the necessities of sinful men ; though they usually appear to the children 
of this world as the mere unintelligible jargon of enthusiasm. The 
minister who strictly follows the example of St. Paul in this respect, will 
most probably be regarded as a visionary by the ignorant and the pro- 
fane : but while he breathes out these ardent prayers, in humble faith, 
accompanying them with those discourses and that conduct which are 
correspondent to such requests, he has, at least, a satisfactory conscious- 
ness that he has never practised the arts of an impostor with the liturgy 
in his hand ; nor played the part of a comedian in a Christian pulpit. 
As to the real advantages which may be expected to flow from our 
doctrine of the dispensations, though they have been adverted to in 
various passages of this work, yet it appears not unnecessary to take a 
transient review of them in this place. 

1. By an accurate acquaintance with these dispensations, every evan- 
gelical preacher may become an approved Workman, " rightly dividing 
the word of truth," 2 Tim. ii, 15 ; and a faithful servant, distributing to 
every domestic of his Master's household, that peculiar portion of spiritual 
food which is suited to their several circumstances, Matt, xxiv, 45. 

2. By exactly dividing the dispensations of grace, we are enabled to 
mark out the boundaries of those particular states which believers of 
different classes are observed to enjoy. We ascertain that degree of 
spiritual life to which we ourselves have attained. We distinguish the 
various graces bestowed upon us : we discover whatever great promise 
is still before us, and solicit, without ceasing, the accomplishment of that 
promise. He who preaches the Gospel, without tracing out the lines 
which separate the three dispensations of grace, may be said to exhibit 
a sun dial upon which the hours are unmarked, and from which little 
else than confusion, if not dangerous mistakes, can be expected to flow. 

3. By the light of this doctrine, true worshippers of every different 
class may be taught to acknowledge and esteem one another, according 
to their different degrees of faith. Nothing is more common m a Chris- 
tian country, than to see the rigidly orthodox uncharitably treating, as 
hopeless outcasts, not only those virtuous Deists who are yet unac- 
quainted with the Son, but even those pious Socinians, who are resting 
satisfied with that inglorious state in which the first disciples of our Lord 
were so long detained, and who are unable to acknowledge any more 
than his humanity. Let these orthodox professors become acquainted 
with the various dispensations of grace, and ceasing to offend either 
virtuous Deists or pious Socinians with their furious anathemas ; they 
will treat the former with all the benevolence which St. Peter once 
expressed toward Cornelius, and the latter with that brotherly kindness 
which Aquila manifested in his carriage toward Apollos. On the other 
hand, if those Christians, who are yet carnal, had any proper idea of 
these different dispensations ; if they could believe that the same Jesus 
who was once outwardly manifested among the Jews, still continues to 
manifest himself in the Spirit through every part of the world, to those' 
who are anxiously pressing into the kingdom of God ; if they could 

Vol. III.- 13 



194 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 

admit, but in theory, this eminent dispensation of grace, they would no 
longer argue against those, as enthusiasts, who speak of the influence of 
the Spirii in Scriptural terms. 

So long as this glorious light shall continue in obscurity, so long we 
may expect to observe among Christians the most unfriendly disputes : 
and though they never again may kindle blazing piles for their mutual 
destruction, yet bitter words, interchanged among them, like so many 
envenomed shafts, will continue sternly to declare that war is in their 
hearts. Those who imagine themselves in possession of the purest 
Christian faith, will treat others, who indulge different sentiments, as 
infidels and heretics ; while these, in return, will stigmatize their uncha- 
ritable brethren with the opprobrious epithets of enthusiastic and fanatic. 

But when every minister of the Gospel, enlightened with truth, and 
glowing with charity, shall faithfully conduct the flock of Christ from 
grace to grace, and from strength to strength, then the foremost of that 
flock will manifest their religious superiority, by giving proofs of the 
most unfeigned affection toward the meanest and most infirm of their 
spiritual companions. Copying the humble courtesy of St. Paul, these 
unpresuming elders will cry out among their younger brethren, "Let 
us, as many as be like minded, forgetting those things which are behind, 
and reaching forth unto the things which are before, press earnestly 
toward the mark, for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus ; 
and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded," that perfect charity, which 
hopeth all things, engages us to believe that "God shall reveal even 
this unto you. Nevertheless, \vhereto we have already attained, let us 
walk by the same rule, let us mind the same things," PhH. iii, 13, 16. 

It may not be amiss to conclude these remarks upon the three grand 
dispensations of grace, by observing how imperfect worshippers deceive 
themselves, while they r-ofuse to proceed from faith to faith. It is the 
opinion of many sincere Deists, who are zealous for the dispensation of 
the Father, that were they to embrace the dispensation of the Son, they 
must necessarily detract from the honour due to the incomprehensible 
God. This prejudice, however, evidently flows from the want of spiritual 
discernment ; since the Holy Scripture instructs us, that when " at the 
name of Jesus every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess that he 
is Lord of heaven and earth," such religious adoration shall be considered 
as ultimately heightening "the glory of God the Father," Phil, ii, 10, 11. 
For if the Father leads us to the Son, by the drawings of his grace, as 
we are taught by the following passages : " No man can come unto me, 
except the Father draw him," John vi, 44. " Simon Peter said, Thou 
art Christ, the Son of the living God : Jesus answered him, Blessed art 
thou, Simon Barjona : for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, 
but my Father which is in heaven," Matt, xvi, 16, 17. It is equally 
certain, that, when we come to Christ, he teaches us both to know and 
worship the Father. Observe the language of our Lord, with respect 
to this point. " I am the way, the truth, and the life : no man cometh 
unto the Father but by me," John xiv, 6. " Father, glorify thy Son, 
that thy Son also may glorify thee. This is life eternal, that they might 
know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent. 
Righteous Father, the world hath not known thee : but I have known 
thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me," to make an open 



THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 195 

display of thy glory upon earth. " I have declared unto them thy name; 
and I will declare it, ' yet more perfectly, John xvii. From these pas- 
sages it evidently appears* that the faith of the Son can never possibly 
take away from that profound veneration which is due to the Father. 
And what is here observed, relative to the faith of the Son, is no less 
true with regard to the faith of the Holy Spirit. For, if under the dis- 
pensation of Jesus* we leam to address our " Father, who is in heaven," 
with a degree of humble confidence, it is only under the dispensation of 
the Spirit that we are enabled to make those addresses with, all that filial 
reverence and that lively fervour which the Gospel requires. This 
" Spirit of adoption," by witnessing " with our spirit that we are the 
children of God," Rom. viii, 15, 16, assists us to bow before our celestial 
Parent with that ineffable veneration and love which are due to the Su- 
preme Being. If philosophers would duly reflect upon these important 
truths, they would no longer tremble under the vain apprehension of 
becoming idolaters and tri-theists, by admitting the doctrines of the Gos- 
pel. On the contrary, we might indulge a hope that these proud rea- 
soners would one day be seen, in company with humble believers, 
approaching the God of their fathers, through the intercession of the 
Son, and with the energy of the Holy Spirit ; crying out with St. Paul, 
" There is one God, and one Mediator between God and man, the man 
Christ Jesus," 1 Tim. ii, 5 : " and through him we have access, by one 
Spirit, unto the Father," Eph. ii, 18. 

There is another class of worshippers who are zealous for the dis- 
pensation of the Son, and who, wholly taken up with the " Word mani- 
fested in the flesh," imagine that his dispensation is rendered contemptible* 
if it be represented merely as the commencement of Christianity, while 
the perfection of the Gospel is declared to consist in the dispensation of 
the Holy Spirit. To the consideration of such, we would propose the 
following expression of St. Paul : " Henceforth know we no man after 
the flesh : yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet hence- 
forth know we him no more," after this manner, 2 Cor. v, 16. And 
though our Lord is acknowledged to have spoken on this wise, " Whoso 
eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life ; and I will 
raise him up at the last day : for my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood 
is drink indeed :" yet it must likewise be confessed that he immediately 
added, " It is the Spirit that quickeneth ; the flesh profiteth nothing,'* 
John vi, 54, 63. 

The following observations, it is hoped, will entirely dissipate the 
fears of these pious persons : — "When the Spirit of truth is come," saith 
our Lord, " he will guide you into all truth ;" and especially into those 
truths which respect faith toward me, and repentance tow T ard my Father. 
" He shall glorify me ; for he shall receive of mine, and shall show unto J 
you" the merits of my righteousness, the efficacy of my death, and the 
power of my Gospel, John xvi, 13, 14. "The Father shall give you 
another Comforter, which ye" already know in part ; " for he dwelleth 
with you," even now in my bodily presence, "but hereafter he shall be 
in you," when I shall have baptized you with the Holy Ghost sent down 
from heaven. "I will not leave you comfortless. I will come unto 
you. The world seeth me no more ; but ye shall see me," in the effects 
of my indwelling power ; and " because I five, ye shall live also, At 



196 THE TORTKAIT OI ST. PAUL. 

that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and 1 
[by my Spirit] in you," John xiv, 16, 23. This spiritual abode of 
Christ in the souls of his people, is the most glorious mystery of the 
Gospel : and " if any man have not the Spirit of Christ," Rom. viii, 9, 
he is, at best, either a disciple of Moses or of John the Baptist : he is 
not in a spiritual, but in a carnal state. 

" I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me," Gal. ii, 20. " Christ is 
our life," Col. hi, 4. " The mystery which hath been hid from ages, 
is Christ in you the hope of glory," Col. i, 26, 27. " My little children, 
of whom I travail in birth, until Christ be formed in you," Gal. iv, 19. 
These, with a thousand other Scriptural expressions, must be utterly 
incomprehensible to those who, resting contented with a literal knowledge 
of the incarnate Word, admit not the internal manifestation of Christ, by 
his Spirit of revelation, wisdom, and power. " The deep things of God 
are revealed unto us by his Spirit," 1 Cor. ii, 10 ; and, without this 
Spirit, we must continue strangers to the most exalted truths of the Gos- 
pel, and be cut off from the purest springs of religious consolation. 
"This is he," saith St. John, " that came by water and blood, even 
Jesus Christ ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the 
Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth," 1 John v, 6. As 
though the apostle should say, " Christ, indeed, in the first part of his 
ministry, proclaimed that repentance toward God, which his own disci- 
ples, as well as John the Baptist, were accustomed to seal with a bap- 
tism of water. And to this sacred ceremony he himself condescend- 
ingly submitted. But after this he proceeded farther, when, as a visible 
Saviour, he sealed his own dispensation of grace with a baptism of blood 
upon the cross. Moreover, it is the Spirit that gives testimony to the 
unsearchable truths of the Gospel, by his still more excellent baptism ; 
deepening our repentance toward God, and adding a foil assurance, 
Heb. x, 22, to our faith in Jesus Christ. Let no one then suspect that 
the manifestation of the Spirit must necessarily obscure the glory of the 
Son ; especially since it is expressly declared, " that no man can say 
that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost," 1 Cor. xii, 3. 

Before we close this section, we have to lament that this important 
part of the Gospel is so rarely published among professing Christians. 
The greater part of the clergy are ta be ranked with the most violent 
opposers of spiritual religion. They insult its followers, they condemn 
its advocates unheard, and presumptuously " speak evil of those things 
which they know not," Jude 10. As there was a time in which the 
Jewish Church overlooked the most important promise under the dis- 
pensation of the Father ; so it was intimated that a time would come, in 
which the Christian Church, sunk into a state of listlessness and incre- 
dulity, should neglect the grand promise under the dispensation of the 
Son. " When the Son of man cometh," saith our Lord, " shall he find 
faith on the earth ?" Luke xviii, 8. He will find little indeed, if we may 
either rely upon our own observations, or give credit to the most solmon 
assertions of a predicting apostle, 2 Tim. iii, 1, 5. 

All our ecclesiastics, however, are not of this description. Among 
the thousands of this sacred order, we find many who are possessed of 
godly fear, Scriptural faith, and Christian charity. These pious evan- 
gelists are anxious for the salvation of those committed to their charge. 



THE rORTKAIT OF ST. PAUL. 197 

They labour to spread the kingdom of God among men, though they 
have never experienced that kingdom according to the fulness of the 
promise. And though they are unacquainted with the abundant pleni- 
tude of the Gospel, yet they cease not to publish that Gospel abroad 
with affection and zeal. They preach the cross of Christ; but they 
proclaim not the spiritual coming of a risen Saviour. As their careless 
brethren refuse to publish the coming of the Spirit, through infidelity and 
prejudice, so these upright ministers neglect to preach it, through un- 
certainty and irresolution. If they even entertain a just opinion of the 
doctrine for which we plead, yet they are restrained from speaking 
frequently and freely upon the subject, because as many false Chris- 
tians have rendered the dispensation of the Son contemptible in the eyes 
of Deists ; so many vainly-inspired zealots have caused the dispensation 
of the Spirit to appear ridiculous before sober-minded Christians. But, 
notwithstanding the reproach which many fanatics of various sects have 
brought upon this sublime part of the Gospel, by mingling with it the 
reveries of a heated imagination, yet it will constantly be regarded, by 
every well-instructed Christian, as the quintessence of our holy religion. 
There appears little probability that this neglected doctrine will be 
either universally received or preached in our degenerate day. But as 
truth has never been left entirely destitute of witnesses, and as the gene- 
rality of ministers have still courage enough to maintain, before an un- 
believing world, the dispensation of the Son ; we may reasonably hope 
that they will continue to mention the dispensation of the Spirit, at least, 
on every commemoration of the pentecostal glory. By this mean we 
may preserve among us a precious spark of sacred fire, till our return- 
ing Lord, bursting through the clouds of incredulity, shall kindle the 
spark into an everlasting flame. In that day the idle pretensions of 
enthusiasts shall no more influence believers to reject the Holy Spirit, 
than the vain pretensions of those false Christs, who formerly appeared 
among the Jews, could influence the faithful to reject their only Lord 
and Saviour. The dispensation of the Spirit shall then appear as glori- 
ous to the eyes of admiring Christians, as the dispensation of the Son 
once appeared to ravished Simeon : and every apostolic pastor shall 
conduct his flock from the dispensation of the Father, through that of 
the Son, to that of the Holy Spirit, in as rapid a manner as St. Peter 
is reported to have done in his first discourse. 



THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 



PART III. 



AN ESSAY 



CONNECTION OF DOCTRINES WITH MORALITY 



Preliminary observations. 

Some divines, almost wholly occupied with the doctrines of the Gos- 
pel, are not sufficiently careful to insist upon morality ; while philoso- 
phers, for the most part, as wholly taken up with morality, treat the 
doctrines of the Gospel with neglect and disdain. It is to reconcile, if 
possible, these two mistaken classes of men, that a few observations are 
here presented upon the importance of such doctrines and their imme- 
diate connection with morality. 

Morality is the science which regulates our manners, by teaching us 
to know and to follow justice, rendering to every one their due, love, 
honour, obedience, tribute, &c. The whole of this morality is included 
in those maxims of natural and revealed religion : " Whatever ye would 
that men should do unto you, do ye even so unto them," Matt, vii, 12. 
f Render unto Cesar the things which are Cesar's ; and unto God, the 
things which are God's," Matt, xxii, 21. Hence it follows, that pure 
morality must maintain some form of Divine worship. 

Some moralists, it is true, imagine it possible to be strictly just, with- 
out making any profession of piety. But if justice consists in doing that 
to others which we desire may be done to ourselves, it is clear, that 
every man who honours not the Supreme Being must be unjust, as well as 
impious : since, if we are parents or benefactors, we manifest so deep a 
sensibility of the injustice of our children or dependents, when they 
repay our kindness with insolence and ingratitude. 

Doctrines are, in general, precepts ; but by doctrines are here par- 
ticularly understood, those instructions which Christ and his apostles 
have given respecting the different relations in which we stand to God 
and to each other, together with the various duties consequent upon such 
relations. 

Such instructions, as are transmitted from generation to generation, 
under the name of maxims or doctrines, whether they be true or false, 
have a prodigious effect upon the conduct of those who admit them. In 



THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 199 

the ancient world, how many hapless infants have been sacrificed among 
the Greeks and Romans to that barbarous maxim, that fathers have the 
right of life and death over their new-born children. In the modern 
world, how vast a number of unborn infants, and how many fanciful 
heroes are falling every year unfortunate victims to those maxims of 
false honour. It is better to destroy the fruit of an illicit love, or to 
plunge a sword into the bosom of a friend, than to live without that 
which constitutes the honour of the sexes ! Overturn these maxims of a 
false point of honour, and you destroy the principles upon which a thou- 
sand impious actions are committed. 

Mankind can no more divest themselves of all prepossession in favour 
of general maxims, than they can lose sight of determining motives. 
The Atheist and the infidel have their particular doctrines, as well as 
the just man and the Christian. The inconsistency of some philoso- 
phers, in this respect, is here worthy to be noted, who begin their dis- 
courses by decrying maxims in general, and conclude them by setting 
forth and maintaining the most dangerous doctrines. " The road to 
permanent happiness," say thoy, " is both convenient and spacious. 
The Almighty pays but little regard to our actions, and has endued us 
with passions for the very purpose of gratifying them." They insinuate, 
that if a man is sufficiently rich to entertain a number of women, he 
may innocently enjoy whatever pleasure their society can afford him ; 
and that, when he has no longer any relish for life, he may as innocently 
blow out his brains. Such are the doctrines, and such is the morality, 
which many ill-instructed professors are preaching among us at this day; 
giving ample testimony that no men are more ready to set up for dog- 
matists than those who reject the doctrines of the Gospel. 



CHAPTER I. 

Philosophers, so called, exalt themselves without reason against the doc- 
trines of the Gospel 

As those who affect exterior acts of devotion are not always possessed 
of the most solid piety, so they who are foremost to magnify philosophy 
are not always to be regarded as the wisest of mankind. It must, how- 
ever, be confessed, that many Christians have afforded philosophers too 
just a subject of scandal, by continually opposing faith to reason : as 
though, in order to be possessed of the richest Christian grace, it were 
necessary to renounce that noble faculty which chiefly distinguishes us 
from the brute creation. Like the great apostle, we may rationally op- 
pose faith to sense ; but we can never, without the highest indiscretion, 
oppose it to reason. We should even be cautious of saying, with M. de 
Voltaire and St. Louis, " Take heed how you follow the guidance of 
your weak reason."* The reason of man is acknowledged to be weak, 
when compared with the intelligence of superior beings. But whatever 
its weakness may be, it becomes us with gratitude to follow it as our 
guide ; since, in a gloomy night, it is better to profit from the smallest 
taper that can be procured, than obstinately to shut our eyes and walk 



-200 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 

at random. If believers prefer the revelation of Christ before the phi- 
losophy of infidels, it is because the most enlightened reason influences 
their choice. 

The true believer is not afraid of pleading against modern philoso- 
phers before the tribunal of reason. " You accuse me," he may say, 
" of superstition ; because in pursuing those honours, riches, and plea- 
sures which are eternal, I have chosen the rough and uncomfortable 
path of piety. But, while I act thus, I act in no less conformity to the 
principles of reason, than the man who, to expel a sweet poison, receives 
a bitter antidote, and cheerfully submits to a disagreeable regimen, till 
he be restored to perfect health. If the sacrifice of a few trifling enjoy- 
ments for the present will secure to me the possession of everlasting 
felicity, I do but imitate the prudent husbandman, who deprives himself 
to-day of a {e\v bushels of- grain, that, after a few months of patient 
expectation, he may reap from his trivial loss an abundant harvest. 
And is it unreasonable in me to adopt such a mode of conduct ; espe- 
cially when the sweet hope of promised blessings affords me, even now, 
a joy as solid and constant as yours is transitory and vain V 

Ye men of boasted wisdom ! we dare assert, that the secret springs 
of your morality are weak and gross in comparison with ours. You 
maintain that, in order to bind a rational creature to the practice of mo- 
rality, nothing farther is requisite than the consideration of his own 
interests. You affirm, moreover, with equal confidence, that all attempts 
to urge mankind to the exercise of virtue, by the consideration of evan- 
gelical motives, is but depending upon the force of ties which are too 
feeble to be binding. But you perceive not that the method upon which 
you proceed with so much self- approbation, is entirely unworthy of true 
moralists, since it merely opposes one evil by means of another full as 
detestable, in giving that to pride which it wrests from other vicious pro- 
pensities. And you, undiseerning instructer of Emilius and Sophia ! 
you, who say in your confession of faith, " Unknowing how to deter- 
mine, I neither admit revelation nor reject it ; rejecting only the obliga- 
tion to receive it :"— if you have removed those powerful motives to true 
virtue, whiph are drawn from the Gospel, what have you given us in 
exchange ? <i Love, that you may be loved again. Become amiable 
that you may be happy. Make yourself esteemed, that you may be 
obeyed. What greater felicity can a noble soul possess, than that which 
flows from the pride of virtue, joined with beauty." How puerile and 
insufficient are these motives, when compared with those which the 
Gospel presents ! Leading mankind to virtue by such a route as this, 
is it not to inspire them, at once, with all a Pharisee's pride, and a 
Jezebel's vanity l 

When we draw a veil over the sublime objects of faith, and place 
before men the mere consideration of some present advantage, in order 
to influence their conduct ; then we actually treat the rational part of the 
creation as we are accustomed to deal with the most brutish animals. 
Behold that swine making up to a heap of corn. Throw but a single 
handful of that heap in his way, and he will pass on no farther ; since 
fifty grains of corn, scattered immediately before his face, will attract 
him more forcibly than as many bushels piled up at a distance. Were 
it possible to make him an offer of all the harvests in the universe, after 



THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 201 

a single hour ; yet he would not sacrifice, for them all, the poor enjoy- 
ment of the present moment. He who thus fixes his attention upon 
temporal and sensible objects, forgets that his soul is immaterial and 
immortal. He who cannot be engaged to the practice of virtue but by 
means of such unworthy motives, may be said to infuse morality in the 
cup of Circe lest he should be constrained to receive it at the hand 
of Christ. 

Why are infidel and unstable Christians observed to fall before 
temptation ? The only reason that can be given is, that being affected 
in too lively a manner with the things that are immediately before them, 
they are in no condition to contemplate those objects which are more 
remote, of how great importance soever they may be. Hence the ines- 
timable objects of faith appear to them as the fixed stars discover them- 
selves to the vulgar, despoiled of their real magnitude and glory, and 
apparently of too little consequence to merit much attention. With the 
sincere Christian the case is wholly different. His faith, which is a gift 
from God, may be compared to a Divine telescope, by which the most 
distant objects are brought within his ken. And of this sacred help he 
happily avails himself, till wholly certified of the nature and importance 
of celestial things, he necessarily acquires ideas suitable to so grand a 
discover}*. 

Observe here the ground of St. Paul's definition of faith, Eph. ii, 8 ; 
Heb. xi, 1. Destitute of the same assistance, what wonder is it that 
the infidel should remain a perfect stranger to the Christian's sacred 
views and exalted sentiments? He foolishly rests contented with the 
naked eye of his reason, regardless of that ignorance and those preju- 
dices with which it is too frequently obscured. Thus, self deluded, he 
despises the Divine instrument above described, and scoffs at those who 
are known to use it ; just as the illiterate were formerly accustomed to 
set at nought the most profound astronomers, and to look with derision 
upon their mysterious apparatus. 

As to the power of this faith, by which alone any spiritual discovery 
can be made, it is too wonderful to be credited, either by the ignorant or 
the impious. It " removes mountains ;" and, to the possessor of it, 
" nothing is impossible," Matt, xvii, 20. It affords the believer a perfect 
" victory" over the present world, 1 John v, 4, by putting into his hand a 
"shield," which is impenetrable to "all the fiery darts of the wicked," 
Eph. vi, 16. Here is the Christian's security ! Behind this buckler 
of celestial temper he remains in undisturbed tranquillity, while the 
incredulous philosopher, together with the abandoned sensualist, are 
hurling against it the feeble darts of ridicule and malice. 

It must be acknowledged, that many excellent precepts of morality 
are found in the Koran, and in the works of modern philosophers : but it 
must be asserted, at the same time, that the enemies of Christ are chiefly 
indebted to revelation for every just conception of religious truth. The 
authors of the Koran, of Emilius, and the Philosophical Dictionary, 
before ever they began to dogmatize, were apprized that there is a God, 
whom it is our duty to love above all things, and who has commanded 
us to love our neighbour as ourselves. It is, therefore, matter of little 
surprise, that a lovely sentiment of this kind should here and there 
brighten a page of their gloomy volumes. Their false coin could never 



202 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 

have become current in the world, unless they had artfully mingled with 
it some little quantity of the pure gold of Scriptural truth. 

We shall conclude this chapter with a beautiful passage from Tertul- 
lian, in which he points out the difference between a true Christian and 
a philosopher, so called. After having spoken of the vices with which 
the Greek philosophers were infected, he makes the following reply to 
a very common objection. " It is objected, that some also among us 
are guilty of violating the laws of virtue. But it must be remembered, 
that such offenders pass no longer with us for Christians : while, among 
you, after the commission of many vicious actions, philosophers still 
preserve their reputation, and continue to be had in honour. What 
resemblance then is there between the Christian and the philosopher ? 
The one is a disciple of Greece ; the other of Heaven. The one seeks 
to establish a fair reputation ; the other aspires to work out his salva- 
tion,. The one speaks admirable words ; the other performs good 
actions. The one destroys, and the other builds up. The one deals in 
error, and the other in truth." (Apolog. chap. 46.) 



CHAPTER II. 

The doctrines of natural religion and philosophy are insufficient to produce 
true charity in the heart. 

The doctrines of natural religion, such as the being of a God, an 
overruling providence, and a judgment to come, are the first doctrines 
of the Gospel : but, hitherto, they have never been found sufficient to 
lead men into the love and practice of solid virtue. 

As the earth, deprived of its primitive fecundity, requires not only the 
genial influence of the sun, but must be enriched and assisted by many 
other means, in order to recover its lost fertility ; so the truths of natu- 
ral religion can never restore the degenerate soul to its lost perfection, 
without the powerful assistance of a revealed Gospel. On this account, 
the Father of mankind has condescended to instruct us in doctrines 
more efficacious than those which unassisted nature can discover, and 
abundantly better suited to our weakness ; that the tree of morality, 
having more numerous and vigorous roots, might be assisted to throw 
out fruit of a more exquisite kind, and in greater abundance, than it 
was formerly known to produce. " What the law," says St. Paul, 
,," could not do, [the natural or Mosaic law,] in that it was weak through 
the flesh, [that is 3 our corrupted nature, which stands in need of greater 
helps than those which the law can afford,] God, sending his own Son, 
condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteousness of the law might be 
fulfilled in us," by a power derived from him, Rom. viii, 3, 4. Hence this 
promised Saviour was spoken of as " the desire of all nations," Hag. ii, 7. 
And hence that public declaration of Christ concerning the nature of his 
mi ision to the children of men : "lam come, that they might have life, 
and that they might have it more abundantly," John x, 20. 

Without revelation, we are left a prey to the most cruel uncertainty". 
The Almighty created man that he might partake of his own felicity : 
and, after having placed in his heart an ardent desire after the sovereign 
good, he made a benign discovery of himself, as the one only and inex- 



THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 203 

haustible source of true blessedness. But since the darkness of sin has 
overspread our understanding, we have lost sight of this sovereign good, 
and are seeking it where it cannot possibly be found. Like Ixion in the 
fable, while we embrace a cloud, we imagine ourselves in possession of 
a sublime reality. And even after repeated convictions of our folly, 
uninstructed by disappointment, we set out again in pursuit of objects 
full as frivolous as those by which we have been already beguiled. 
Philosophers, unable to guide mankind to true happiness, are vainly 
searching after it themselves in darkness and uncertainty. Divided into 
a variety of sects, they maintain a hundred different opinions upon a 
subject of so great importance. So that after all the researches of its 
professors, philosophy has left the world in a state of equal perplexity 
with a man who, having but one arrow to level at the mark, has a 
hundred different marks proposed to him at the same time. 

In all this uncertainty, how happy is it to discover a volume which 
decides the momentous question in so clear a manner, that reason itself 
can object nothing to the decision ! This book, the most ancient that can 
be produced, informs us that Jehovah once appeared to the father of the 
faithful, " and said unto him, I am the mighty,* all-sufficient God : walk 
before me, and be thou perfect." So " will I make my covenant between 
me and thee :" and thou shalt become a joyful possessor of the sovereign 
good, Gen. xvii, 1, 2. When these truths are once cordially assented 
to, the perplexity of the believer is then sweetly terminated, and his high 
vocation completely pointed out. From this time he feels the import- 
ance of those doctrines which, like steady lights, eclipse a thousand 
glimmering meteors, and discover, amid surrounding dangers, a sure 
though narrow road to happiness. And here it is to be observed, that 
upon these important truths, as well as upon every other essential point, 
Christians of all denominations are perfectly agreed. 

What is meant by " walking before God in perfection," is fully ex. 
plained in the following terms : " Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with 
all thy heart, and thy neighbour as thyself," Matt, xxii, 37, 39. Now 
unregenerate man, far from filling up these duties, neglects the Supreme 
Being, and prefers his own particular interest to that of society in gene- 
ral ; affording the strongest proof that he possesses neither genuine 
piety nor undissembled charity. Hence, before such a man can become 
truly virtuous, it is evident that his principles must be improved and his 
inclinations rectified. And till these salutary changes take place in his 
soul, always vicious, restless, and selfish, he will continually be making 
some addition to his external errors and his internal misery. 

Deists, while they acknowledge that we are bound to love both God 
and man, presume upon the sufficiency of their own ability for the due 
performance of these extensive duties. Were the)-, however, truly 
anxious to practise these virtues in as unreserved a manner as even na- 
tural religion requires, they would quickly perceive the weakness of 
humanity, and acknowledge the deepest need of Divine assistance. 
But so long as the piety of these persons consists in " honouring God 
with their lips, while their hearts are far from him," Isaiah xxix, 13 ; 
and while they boast of manifesting toward mankind a love so universal, 

* See the original. 



204 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 

that none but their enemies are excluded from it, Matt, v, 43 ; so long 
they will need no other assistance for the performance of these wretched 
services, than that which corrupted nature can amply afford. 

It is frequently asserted, that the mysteries of redemption are utterly 
useless with respect to morality, and that the benignity of God, as exem- 
plified in our creation and preservation, is a sufficient motive to affection 
and obedience on the part of man. But since man has become a sinful 
and disobedient creature, every motive to rectitude that can possibly be 
drawn from his creation and preservation, has lost much of its former 
constraining influence. How many persons may we find in the world, 
who, instead of being penetrated with gratitude on account of these 
blessings, lament, with despairing Job and Jeremiah, that ever th-:y were 
born ! And when the miseries of life have rendered it almost insupport- 
able, can we reasonably imagine its repining possessor to be glowing 
with love to the Deity, merely as the author and preserver of his un- 
happy existence ? Surely nothing can be more absurd than such a sup- 
position. Yet how many boasted reasoners confidently maintain, that 
the very same gift, which wretched sufferers, in every age, have thrown 
back to the giver with anguish and contempt, is nevertheless a motive 
sufficiently powerful to engage every transgressor of the Almighty's law 
to love him with all their heart, and serve him with all their power ! 

But let us suppose that man, unassisted by the doctrines of the Gospel, 
has some knowledge of the sovereign good, and the means by which it 
may be obtained. Yet how superficial is this knowledge ! We might 
here produce a gloomy catalogue of those capital errors into which the 
ancient philosophers have fallen, with regard to these important points. 
It must, indeed, be allowed that modern professors have corrected many 
of those errors : but it must be lamented, at the same time, that they have 
unhappily adopted others, not a whit less glaring or fatal. Passing over, 
in silence, the horrible systems of atheistical writers, let us listen to philo- 
sophers of greater estimation, among whom Rousseau and Voltaire may 
rank as the most conspicuous characters. The former of these acquired 
considerable reputation by his observations upon the education of youth, 
and the latter, by the courage with which he contended for toleration. 

" Let it be laid down," says Rousseau, " as an incontestable maxim, 
that the first movements of nature are always right ; and that there is 
no such thing as original sin in the human heart." How large a stride 
is here toward the sentiments of La Metrie ; all whose morality was 
wrapped up in this single sentence, " Satisfy thy desires ; they are the 
voice of God and of nature." To enlarge this little quotation from 
J. J. Rousseau would be a superfluous task. It must appear evident to 
every unprejudiced reader, from the above assertion, that the maxims of 
this admired philosopher have a greater tendency to advance self gratifi- 
cation than to promote universal benevolence in the world. 

Turn we now to the toleration of M. de Voltaire. In his epistle to 
Boileau, we find him writing thus : " I have consecrated my voice to 
sing the praises of virtue ; overcoming those prejudices which are idol- 
ized by the ignorant, I dare to preach toleration to persecutors."* Now 

* A chanter la virtu j'ai consecre ma voix ; 
Vainquer des prejuges que l'imbecile essence, 
J'ose aux persecuteurs precher la tolerance. 



THE POETHArr OF ST. PAUL. 205 

when any man comes forth, in this public manner, to plead the cause of 
candour and liberality, we are naturally led to admire the generosity of 
his conduct. And it would be well, if M. de Voltaire was really de- 
serving of all that credit, which a stranger feels disposed to give him, 
when he assumes so questionable an appearance. But notwithstanding 
the praises which this celebrated writer has bestowed upon his own hu- 
manity, and in spite of all the beautiful things he has said upon tolera- 
tion, many ungenerous sentiments may be discovered in his works, 
which tend to renew the most bloody persecutions. Take an instance 
or two. 

1. "It is never necessary to rise up against the religion of the 
prince." Upon this principle, Jesus Christ and St. Paul were highly 
worthy of blame for withstanding the hypocrisy and idolatry which 
composed the religion of Caiaphas and Tiberius. 

2. " What is called a Jansenist, is really a madman, a bad citizen, 
and a rebel. He is a bad citizen, because he troubles the order of the 
state : he is a rebel, because he disobeys. The Molinists are madmen 
of a more harmless kind." These two lovely maxims of toleration are 
to be found in a little piece of M. de Voltaire's, entitled, The Voice of a 
Philosopher and the People. 

Had the king of France attended to this voice, he would have re- 
garded every Jansenist, and for the same reason, every Protestant, as a 
bad citizen, or a rebel ; every spark of religious moderation would have 
been extinguished in his royal bosom, and an effectual door thrown open 
to the terrible exertions of tyrannical power. These pretended rebels 
might then have perished, unpitied and unheard ; while the bigoted 
prince, convinced that a man must cease to be a fanatic before he merits 
toleration, might have gloried in the rectitude of his public conduct. 
Such a prince might have commanded his blood-thirsty troops to ad- 
vance under the banners of modern philosophy, leaving M. de Voltaire 
to animate them against the innocent with, what he calls, The Voice of a 
Philosopher. 

It appears, then, according to M. de Voltaire, that every subject 
should profess the religion of his prince. Nor is this opinion less earn- 
estly contended for by J. J. Rousseau, who tells us in his Emilius, that 
" every daughter should be of her mother's religion, and that every 
woman should profess the religion of her husband." So that, if a mart 
should turn from the true, and embrace a false religion, his wife ancf 
chldren are bound to apostatize with him : and in case of a refusal on 
their part, J. J. Rousseau, while he affects to plead the cause of liberty, 
pronounces upon them a sentence of condemnation. Upon these prin- 
ciples of toleration, the father of a family is authorized to persecute his 
non-conforming wife and children, and a prince may lawfully take up 
arms against such of his subjects as are esteemed fanatics. If the 
benevolence and morality of these candid philosophers were to be substi- 
tuted in the place of that liberality and love which the Gospel requires, 
Mark ix, 38, &e, to what a deluge of misery would it give rise, both in 
families and in commonwealths ! Kings would tyrannize over the con- 
science of their subjects, husbands over that of their wives, and parents 
over that of their children i nor would the least religious liberty be ex- 
perienced by any class of men, except the princes of the earth. Such 



206 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 

is the imperfect charity, and such the limited freedom, for which modern 
philosophers have contended, with equal earnestness and approbation. 

The dangerous principles of these two oracles, upon the subject of 
toleration, will suffice to show with how just reason the former of them 
could say, " I hate false maxims, but I detest evil actions yet more." 
Alas ' the horrible actions of a murdering inquisitor terminate with his 
life ; but the intolerant doctrines of these reputed sages may continue 
to scatter misery and death through the world, long after their neglected 
tombs are mouldered into dust. 



CHAPTER III. 

The great influence of doctrines upon morality. 

To ascertain the importance of doctrines in general, let us consider 
the influence that they have upon our conduct. Our duties in life de- 
pend upon the different relations we sustain in it ; and these relations 
affect us only as they are understood. Thus, it is necessary that a 
child should know his father before he can truly lore him in that cha- 
racter. This knowledge is the effect of certain instructions or maxims 
which influence our manners in proportion as they are assented to. I 
love the man from whom I have received my birth and education with a 
particular affection : but such love is founded, first, upon this general 
doctrine, " Every child, honourably born, should reverence and love his 
father," and, secondly, upon this particular truth, " That man is my 
father." If I am made to doubt of this general doctrine, or of this 
particular truth, the moral springs of that respect, love, gratitude, and 
obedience, which are due to my father, will necessarily be weakened ; 
and if either the one or the other should lose all its influence over my 
heart, my father would then become to me as an indifferent person. 

The knowledge, therefore, of the affinities which subsist between 
one being and another, is essential to morality. Why is it that no traces of 
morality can be discovered among the beasts of the field ? It is because 
they are incapable of understanding either the relation in which creatures 
stand to the Creator, or the affinities which subsist among the creatures 
themselves. As it becomes the soldier to have a strict knowledge of his 
officers, that he may render to every one according to his rank the 
honour and obedience to which they are severally entitled ; so, prepa 
ratory to the practice of morality, it behooves us to have a clear per 
ception of our various duties, together with the proper subject of those 
duties. If some desperate malady has deprived us of this knowledge, 
we then rank with idiots, and are in no condition to violate the rules of 
morality. Hence the lunatic, who butchers his father, is not punishable 
among us as a parricide r because he has no acquaintance with these 
general maxims, " No man should murder another, — every son should 
honour his father ;" nor has he any conception of this particular truth, 
" The man whom thou art about to destroy, is thy father." 

Take away all doctrines, and you annihilate all the relations which 
subsist among rational creatures ; you destroy all morality, and reduce 
man to the condition of a brute beast, allowing him to be influenced by 
passion and caprice, as the lowest animals are actuated by appetite and 



THE PORTRAIT OF ST. TAUL. 207 

instinct. Admit only some few doctrines, and you admit only a part of 
your duties as well as your privileges. An example may serve to set 
this truth in a clear light : — suppose you have a rich father, who is 
entirely unknown to you, and whom the world has never looked upon as 
your parent ; if you never receive any certain intelligence concerning 
him, it is plain that you can neither render him filial obedience, nor yet 
succeed to his estates. 

Many philosophers, who cannot reasonably be suspected of fanaticism, 
or even partiality to evangelical principles, have yet strenuously insisted 
upon the importance of doctrines, as calculated to influence the conduct 
of mankind. A polished writer of this class seems to have entertained 
an idea, that if all men were possessed of an enlightened understanding, 
crimes of every kind would be unknown in the world. Observe, at least, 
in what terms he speaks of war, which is an evil of that complex nature, 
that it may jus.ly be looked upon as an assemblage of every possible vice. 
" What is the cause of that destructive rage, which, in every period, like 
a contagious malady, has infected the human race ? Ignorance is, un- 
doubtedly, the source of our calamities : ignorance with respect to the 
relations, rights, and duties of our species. Thus, the most ignorant and 
unpolished people have ever been the most warlike ; and those ages of 
the world, which have been peculiarly distinguished by darkness and 
barbarism, have been invariably the most fruitful in murderous wars. 
Ignorance prepares the way for devastation ; and devastation, in its turn, 
reproduces ignorance. With a clear knowledge of their rights and their 
reciprocal duties, which form the true and only interest of nations, it is a 
contradiction to suppose that those nations would voluntarily precipitate 
themselves into an abyss of inevitable evils."* This author, if he be 
supposed to speak of our relations and duties with respect to God, as 
well as those which regard our neighbour, had reason on his side ; and 
especially if his views were directed to the knowledge of every powerful 
motive which should constrain us to fill up those duties. 

Upon these principles, of what fatal neglect are those persons guilty, 
who, being charged with the religious instructions of princes and people, 
leave both immersed in a deplorable ignorance, which draws after it the 
horrors of war, with all the various calamities that overspread the face 
of Christendom ! 



CHAPTER IV. 

How the doctrines of the Gospel come in to the succour of morality. 

If to preach the Gospel is to teach sinners the relations they sustain 
with respect to God, as Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier ; if it is to 
announce the advantages which flow from this three-fold relation, till, 
penetrated with gratitude and love, mankind apply themselves to fulfil 
the several duties to which they stand engaged ; we may challenge the 
world to point out any knowledge of equal importance with that which is 
discovered in the GospeL To deprive us, then, of the doctrines con- 

* Principes de la Legislation Universelle. 



208 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 

tained in this Gospel, is it not to suppress the most important instructions 
we can possibly receive, and to conceal from us a testament made wholly 
in our favour? To decide this question, we shall here consider what 
influence these doctrines have upon morality. 

The virtues of worldly men, as well as their vices, are little else than 
a kind of traffic carried on by an inordinate self love. From this impure 
source the most amiable of their actions flow ; and hence, instead of 
referring all things primarily to God, they constantly act with an eye to 
their own immediate advantage. Christ has offered a remedy to this 
grand evil, by teaching us, that to love the Deity " with all our heart" 
is the " first commandment" of the law ; and that to love ourselves, and 
" our neighbour as ourselves," is but a secondary commandment in the 
sight of God : thus leading us up to Divine love, as the only source of 
pure virtue. When self love is once reduced to this wholesome order, 
and moves in exact obedience to the Creator's law, it then becomes truly 
commendable in man, and serves as the surest rule 01 fraternal affection. 

Evangelical morality ennobles our most ordinary actions, such as those 
of eating and drinking, requiring that " all things be done to the glory of 
God," 1 Cor. x, 31, i. e. in celebration of his unspeakable bounty. A 
just precept this, and founded upon the following doctrine : " All things 
are of God," 2 Cor. v, 18, to whom, of consequence, they ought finally 
to refer. If you lose sight of this doctrine, your apparent gratitude is 
nothing more than a feigned virtue, which has no other motives or ends, 
except such as originate and lose themselves in self love. In such 
circumstances you cannot possibly assent to the justice of the grand 
precept above cited. But holding it up, like the author of the Philoso- 
phical Dictionary, as a subject of ridicule, you may perhaps burlesque 
the feelings of a conscientious man with regard to this command, as the 
comedian is accustomed to sport with the character of a modest woman. 
Thus many philosophers are emulating the morality and benevolence of 
those censorious religionists, concerning whom our Lord significantly 
declared, " Verily they have their reward." 

How shall we reduce a sinner to moral order ? Will it be sufficient 
to press upon him the following exhortations : — Love God with all thy 
heart : be filled with benevolence toward all men : do good to your 
very enemies? All this would be only commanding a rebel to seek 
happiness in the presence of a prince whose indignation he has justly 
merited. It would be urging a covetous man to sacrifice his interests, 
not only to indifferent persons, but to his implacable adversaries. To 
effect so desirous a change in the human heart, motives and assistance 
are as absolutely necessary as counsels and precepts. 

Here the doctrines of the Gospel come in to the succour of morality. 
But how shall we sufficiently adore that incomprehensible Being, Who 
has demonstrated to us, by the mission of his beloved Son, that the Divine 
nature is love ? Or, how shall we refuse any thing to this gracious 
Redeemer, who clothed himself with mortality that he might suffer m 
our stead ? All the doctrines of the Gospel have an immediate tendency 
to promote the practice of morality. That of the incarnation, which 
serves as the basis of the New Testament, expresses the benevolence of 
the Supreme Being in so striking a manner, that every sinner, who cor- 
dially receives this doctrine, is constrained to surrender his heart unre- 



THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL; 209 

servedly to God. His servile fear is changed into filial reverence, and 
his inveterate aversion into fervent love. He is overwhelmed with the 
greatness of benefits received, and, as the only suitable return for mercies 
of so stupendous a nature, he sacrifices, at once, all his darling vices; 
H If the Son of God has united himself to my fallen nature," such an 
humble believer will naturally say, " I will not rest till I feel myself 
united to this Divine Mediator. If he comes to put a period to my 
misery, nothing shall ever put a period to my gratitude. If he has 
visited me with the beams of his glory, it shall henceforth become my 
chief concern to reflect those beams upon all around me, to his ever- 
lasting praise." : 

The memorable sacrifice which was once offered up in the person of 
Christ, as a propitiation for our sins, is wonderfully calculated to pro- 
duce the same extraordinary effects. This mysterious offering sets forth 
the malignity of our offences, and represents the compassion of the Deity 
in so overpowering a manner, that, while it fills us with horror for sin, 
it completely triumphs over the obduracy of our hearts. From the mo- 
ment we come to a real perception of this meritorious sacrifice, from 
that moment we die to sin, till, " rising again with Christ" into a new 
life, Col. iii, 1, we become, at length, wholly " renewed in the spirit 
of our mind," Eph. iv, 23. Point out a man who unfeignedly believes 
in a crucified Saviour, and you have discovered a man who abhors all 
manner of vice, and in whom every virtue has taken root. Such a one 
can thankfully join the whole multitude of the faithful, and say, " Being 
justified by faith, we have peace with God, through our Lord Jesus 
Christ," Rom. v, 1, " and rejoicing in hope of the glory of God," v, 2, 
" we have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was 
delivered unto us." Once, indeed, when we were without the knowledge 
of Christ, " we were the servants of sin : but now, being made free from 
sin, and become servants of God, we have our fruit unto holiness, and 
the end everlasting life," Rom. vi, 17, 22. 

If you ravish from such a man these Consoling and sanctifying doc-; 
trines, you will leave him either in the stupid insensibility of those who 
give themselves up to carnal security, or in the perplexity of others, who 
are crying, " What shall we do to be saved ?" The one or the other of 
these states must be experienced, in different degrees, by every man 
who is unacquainted with the efficacy of evangelical doctrines. And if 
the first moralist (Socrates) of the Pagan world was yet observed to 
triumph over this stupidity and Confusion, it was merely through the' 
regenerating hope he indulged, that a restoring God, of whose internal 
operations he had already been favoured with some faint perception/ 
would one day afford him a more clear and perfect light. 



CHAPTER V. 

Containing reflections upon the apostles* creed. 

For the fullest proof that a strict connection subsists between the doc- 
trines of the Gospel and the most perfect morality, let us cast our eyes 
on an assemblage of those doctrines, known by the name of the apostles 3 

Vol. Ill, 14 



210 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 

creed ; a creed to which every true Christian conscientiously subscribes, 
and which baptized hypocrites make a solemn show of assenting to. 
Our prejudice against these holy doctrines must necessarily vanish, after 
we have duly considered the influence they naturally have upon the eon- 
duct of true believers. 

This confession of faith has three parts. The first contains the prin- 
cipal doctrines of Deism, or natural religion, setting forth the relation in 
which we stand to God, as Creator. The second part of this creed 
includes the principal doctrines contained in the four Gospels, and places 
before us the relation we bear to God, considered in the character of 
Redeemer, or as coming to save the world by that extraordinary person, 
who is called the only begotten Son of God. The doctrines here enu- 
merated are those with which the disciples of our Lord were wholly taken 
up till the day of their spiritual baptism. The third part presents us with 
a recapitulation of the principal doctrines set forth in the Acts and Epis- 
tles of the apostles. This latter part of the Christian creed instructs us 
in our relation to God, as Sanctifier, or as coming to regenerate man by 
that Spirit of truth, consolation, and power, which was promised by Christ 
to his followers : a Spirit, whose office is to instruct and sanctify the 
Church of Christ, to maintain a constant communion among its members, 
to seal upon their consciences the pardon of sin, to assure them of a 
future resurrection, and prepare them for a life of everlasting blessedness. 
Let us review these three parts of this apostolic creed, and observe the 
necessary reference they have to morality. 

The first article of this creed informs us that there is an all-powerful 
God, who is the Creator of all things in heaven and in earth. It is 
evident that no man can renounce this doctrine, without renouncing 
natural religion, and plunging headlong into Atheism. If there is no 
God, there can be no Divine law, and morality becomes a mere insigni- 
ficant term. Human laws may, indeed, restrain the wretch who indulges 
a persuasion of this nature ; but were it not for the authority of such laws, 
he would throw off the mask of decency, and laugh at the distinction 
between virtue and vice. 

If you admit, with Epicurus, the being of a God, without admitting 
an overruling providence : if you believe not that the Creator is an all- 
powerful Parent, and, as such, peculiarly attentive to the concerns of his 
immense family : you then destroy all confidence in the Supreme Being : 
you take from the righteous their chief consolation in adversity, and 
from the wicked their chief restraining curb in prosperity. 

Mutilate this important doctrine by admitting only a general provi- 
dence, and you destroy the particular confidence which holy men indulge, 
that God dispenses to his children, according to his unsearchable wis- 
dom, both prosperity and adversity ; that he listens to their supplications, 
and will finally deliver them out of all their afflictions. You trample 
under foot the most powerful motives to resignation and patience ; you 
nourish discontent in the heart, and scatter the seeds of despair among 
the unfortunate. Yet all this is done by many inconsistent advocates for 
morality. 

Heathens themselves were perfectly convinced, that the practice of 
morality was closely connected with the above-mentioned doctrines. 
Cicero, in his book concerning the nature of the gods, seems to appre- 



THE FORT/RAIT OF ST. FAtTL. 211 

hend, that the whole edifice of morality would fall to the ground, were 
the doctrine of a particular providence to be taken away : " For," says 
he, " if the gods observed not what is transacted here below, what would 
become of religion and holiness, without which human life would be 
replete with trouble and confusion 1 I am persuaded that, in banishing 
the fear of the gods, we should, at the same time, banish from among 
us good faith, justice, and an" those other virtues which are considered as 
forming the basis of society i" 



CHAPTER VI. 

The connection of morality with the second part of the apostles' creed. 

The doctrines adverted to in the latter part of the preceding chapter, 
compose the religion of Theists, who believe in God as Creator and 
Preserver, but who know him not as the Restorer of fallen man. They; 
however, who give their unfeigned assent to the first part of this creed, 
will never contentedly rest at the threshold of truth. After duly attend- 
ing to the blessings of creation and preservation, they will readily per- 
ceive how destitute they are of that love, that gratitude, and that 
obedience, which are so justly due to the Author of all their mercies. 
Hence gradually discovering that, even with respect to their neighbour, 
they are void of that justice and charity which should be mutually exer- 
cised between man and man, they will humbly acknowledge their trans- 
gressions, and begin to apprehend those mysterious truths by which the 
Christian religion is distinguished from Deism. 

In our ancient confessions of faith, no mention is made of the misery 
and depravity of man. For what need was there to make so melan- 
choly a truth an article of faith, since it has been publicly demonstrated, 
in every age and country, by the conduct of all classes of men ? To deny 
that indisputable evidences of this truth are every day to be met with, is 
to deny that there are in the world prisons, gibbets, soldiers, fields of 
blood, and beds of death. 

If we give up the doctrine of the fall, and, of consequence, that of the' 
restoration, we give the lie to the general experience of mankind, as well 
as to that of our own hearts ; we shut our eyes against the light of con- 
viction ; we cast away, in the midst of a labyrinth, the only clue that 
can guide us through its winding mazes. And after such an act of 
folly, we shall either, with infidel philosophers, disdain to implore the* 
assistance of the Supreme Being, or, like the haughty Pharisee, we shall 
approach him with insolence. 

If, in direct opposition to the doctrine of our depravity, we affirm, that 
" all things are good, and the human species as free from imperfection 
as the Almighty at first intended," we then neglect the only probable 
means of overcoming sin, and obstinately endeavour to preclude all pos* 
sibility of our restoration. Thus, by persuading a loathsome leper that 
his malady is both convenient and becoming, we teach him to despise 
the most efficacious remedies, and leave him a deluded prey to deformity 
and corruption. But if it be once admitted that we are immersed in 
sin, without the least possibility of restoring ourselves to a state of inno- 



212 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL, 

cence, we have, then, some degree of that humility which disposed St. 
Paul to embrace a persecuted Saviour, and by which alone we can be 
prevailed upon to embrace the second part of this sacred creed. 

To reject that which respects either the conception, the birth, the 
sufferings, the death* the resurrection, or the ascension of Jesus Christ, 
is to reject every thing that concerns this condescending Saviour ; since 
it is one and the same Gospel that instructs* us m all these different doc- 
trines. To remove one of these doctrines is to break the chain of evan- 
gelical truth, by destroying one of the links of which it is composed ; it 
is ultimately to deny the authority of revelation, if not absolutely to over- 
throw that grand edifice, of which Jesus Christ " is the chief corner 
stone." In a word, as the doctrine of our redemption by a crucified 
Saviour is rejected, either wholly or in part, so we reject, cither in part 
or altogether, the most constraining motives to repentance and gratitude, 
obedience and purity. 

An unholy course of conduct proceeds from two principal causes, 
pride and the rebellion of the senses : from the former arises the disorder 
of our irascible passions ; and from the latter proceed all our irregular 
desires. Now, before these evils can be perfectly remedied, or the un- 
holy become truly virtuous, it is necessary to eradicate pride from the 
heart, and to subdue the irregular appetites of our degenerate nature. 
This is undoubtedly the most difficult task to be accomplished in life ; 
but what is impracticable to the incredulous Deist, becomes actually 
possible to the sincere believer. By the example of his persecuted 
Master, he is animated to trample upon all the pride of life ; and upon 
the cross of his dying Lord, he is crucified to the sensual delights of this 
present world. " Take my yoke upon you," says the blessed Jesus, 
" and learn of me ; for I am meek and lowly in heart," Matt, xi, 29. 
" Christ hath suffered for us," continues St. Peter, " leaving us an ex- 
ample, that ye should follow his steps," 1 Pet. ii, 21. " Let the same 
mind be in you,'' adds St. Paul, "which was also in Christ Jesus, who, 
being in the form of God," voluntarily " took upon him the form of a 
servant, and became obedient unto the death of the cross," Phil, ii, 5, 8. 

It is necessary to be well acquainted with the human heart, and to have 
accurately observed the influence that example has upon mankind, in 
order to understand the great advantage which Christians have over 
Deists, even allowing the morality of both parties to be equally pure. 
What is there of which those persons are not capable, who follow the 
King of kings, encouraged by his example, and supported by his power? 
Thus supported, no command will appear too strict to be obeyed : no 
burden too heavy to be sustained ; but we may joyfully triumph, like the 
first imitators of Jesus, over that innate pride and those sensual desires 

* Here is no mention made ef our Lord's descent into hell, because the ex- 
pression itself is an equivocal one r the Greek word hades by no means answer- 
ing to the English word hell. St. Paul was ever ready to make mention of every 
thing that respected his Divine Master ; but where he speaks of his death and 
resurrection, he is not observed even to hint at this singular doctrine ; and if, by 
omitting it in this place, we are judged guilty of a capital error, the great apostle 
himself was guilty in this respect, Rom. iv, 25 ; viii, 34 ; 1 Cor. xv, 4. But if St. 
Paul and the four evangelists have made no mention of this extraordinary circum- 
stance, it cannot certainly be considered as a fundamental article of the Christian 
faith. 



THE PORTRAIT OP ST. PAUL. 213 

upon which the incredulous continually striking, as upon dangerous 
rocks, make shipwreck of all their boasted morality. 

The last article, recounted in this part of our creed, must be supposed 
to have a prodigious influence upon the minds of men. Take away the 
doctrine of a judgment day, in which an infinitely holy and powerful 
God will render unto every man according to his works ; you then take 
from the wicked those salutary fears which restrain them in the career 
of vice, and from the righteous those glorious hopes which are the 
strongest incentives to a life of godliness. 



CHAPTER VII. 

The connection of morality icith the third part of the apostles 1 creed. 

The first article, in the third part of this ancient confession of faith, 
respects the confidence which every believer indulges in the Divine 
grace, or rather, in that Holy Spirit which sanctifies the sinful and con- 
soles the afflicted. If, by an obstinate incredulity, we reject this sacred 
Comforter, we refuse the wisdom and power which result from an inti- 
mate union with the Father of lights, and disclaim all fellowship with 
that Divine Mediator, whose humanity is far removed from the sight of 
men. As we could derive no possible advantage from a sun, whose 
rays, concentrated in himself, should neither visit our eyes with their 
cheering light, nor our bodies with their kindly heat, so, if the Almighty 
neither illuminates our minds by the Spirit of truth, nor animates our 
souls by the Spirit of charity, we may reasonably suppose him to have 
as little interest in the concerns of men as the statue of Olympian 
Jupiter. 

The remainder of this creed respects the nature of the Church and 
the privileges of its members. 

To destroy the doctrines which relate to the holiness of those who 
truly appertain to the Church of God, the universality of that Church, 
and " the communion of those saints " of whom it is composed ; — this is 
to overthrow the barriers which form the pale of the Church, confound- 
ing the holy with the profane, and the sincere with the hypocritical. 

Take away the doctrine that " respects the remission of sins," and 
you leave us in a state of the most cruel uncertainty. You take away 
from penitents that expectation which sustains them ; and from believers 
the gratitude that engages them to love much, because much has been 
forgiven them, Luke vii, 47. You destroy the most powerful motive 
we have to pardon the offences of our neighbour, Eph. iv, 32, and leave 
us in a state of solicitude incompatible with that internal peace which 
is the peculiar privilege of Christians, John xiv, 27. 

Rob us of the doctrine of a future resurrection, and you leave us 
weak in times of danger, alarmed in times of sickness, and wholly in 
bondage to the fear of death. But, while we remain in possession of 
this exhilarating truth, we can follow, without fear, the standard of the 
cross ; the most cruel torments are rendered tolerable ; and we can sub- 
mit, without repining, to a temporary death, looking forward to a glori 
ous resurrection and a happy immortality. 



^14 ' THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 

CHAPTER VIII. 

Consequences of the foregoing observations. 

All crimes are founded upon those errors which are first embraced 
in theory, before they are adopted in practice. Overthrow these errors 
by opposing to them pure and incontrovertible doctrines, and you destroy 
sin in the bud. On the other hand, true virtue is produced by truth. 
Oppose a lie to this truth, and, if it be admitted, you destroy the seeds 
of virtue. So long as the first man had his heart penetrated with the 
certainty of this doctrine, " If I am ungrateful enough to disobey my 
Creator, I shall die," so long he remained in a state of innocence. But 
to this doctrine the tempter opposed his false promises. " You shall not 
surely die," said he ; on the contrary, " you shall become [wise and 
happy] as gods." No sooner were these delusive doctrines assented to 
on the part of Adam, but his understanding becoming necessarily clouded, 
his will was immediately beguiled : and thus, blindly following the temp 
tation, he fell into an abyss of misery. 

doctrines, whether they be good or bad, still continue to have the 
same influence upon the conduct of men ; and to suppose the contrary, 
is to suppose that light and darkness can never cease to produce their 
ordinary effects. The following doctrine, " Out of the pale of the Ro- 
mish Church there is no salvation," has filled Europe with fires, scaf- 
folds, and massacres. Eradicate this doctrine from every prejudiced 
heart, and plant in its room the following Scriptural truth, " God is no 
respecter of persons ; but in every nation, he that feareth him and 
worketh righteousness is accepted with him," and, in the place of stream- 
ing blood, we shall see streams of charity uninterruptedly flowing 
through every Christian kingdom. 

The miser imagines that riches are the sovereign good, and that the 
highest pleasure consists in counting over and over his splendid hoards. 
The debauched youth is confident that the sovereign good consists in 
sensual gratification, and the highest gratification in the enjoyment of a 
frail beauty, destined to be the prey of worms. Destroy these grounds 
less persuasions by solid doctrines : demonstrate to these infatuated 
creatures that God himself is the sovereign good, and that this good is 
offered to us in Jesus Christ ; and that the highest enjoyment consists in 
having the heart penetrated with Divine love, and in looking forward 
with a lively hope of being one day eternally united to God. Convince 
them of these momentous truths, and the charms by which they have 
been captivated so long, will be immediately broken. Ah ! how delight- 
ful is it to behold such sensual reasoners awaking from their deathful 
slumber, and crying out, with St. Augustine, " O eternal sweetness ! 
Ineffable greatness ! Beauty for ever new ! Truth, whose charms have 
been so long unnoticed, alas, how much time have I lost in not loving 
tl>ee !" 

Sound reason must unavoidably submit to the force of these observa- 
vations, the truth of which is demonstrated by the general conduct of 
mankind. But, perhaps, the best method of reasoning with the incredu- 
lous, is to point out the consequences of their own system. Imagine a 
man, who, instead of receiving the doctrines of the Gospel, publicly 



THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 215 

presumes to make the following declaration : " I believe not in God the 
Creator : I trust not in any Mediator, nor acknowledge any sanctifying 
Spirit. And, as I believe not in God, so I believe not in what is called 
his Church ; nor do I look upon the communion of those who worship 
him in any other light than that of a mere chimera. I believe not in 
the remission of sins. I look for no resurrection, nor indulge any hope 
of everlasting life. Let us eat and drink, for to-morrow we die." 
Were any man seriously to repeat in your hearing such a confession of 
his faith, would you fix upon such a one for the management of your 
estate ? Would you intrust him with the charge of your wife, or choose 
him for the guardian of your children 1 Would it be possible for you 
to depend upon his word, or confide in his honesty ? Now, imagine 
this very infidel, in some future season, convinced of his former errors, 
and firmly persuaded that he acts under the eye of an omniscient God, 
who will bring " every work into judgment, with every secret thing," 
Eccles. xii, 14 : suppose him smiting upon his breast with the peni- 
tent publican, and determining, with St. Paul, to know nothing " among 
men save Jesus Christ and him crucified," 1 Cor. ii, 2: would you 
not indulge a better opinion of this man, in his believing state, than when 
he rejected, with modern philosophers, the doctrines of Christianity ? 
It could not possibly be otherwise : so true it is, that, in certain 
cases, your conduct will give the lie to your arguments against the 
utility of evangelical doctrines. 

J. J. Rousseau professes to have hated bad maxims less than evil 
actions : when, as a wise man, he should have detested the former as 
the cause of the latter. It is not sufficient that we profess to make the 
principles of virtue the ground of our conduct, unless that basis be 
established upon an immovable foundation. Without attending to this 
rule, we resemble those Indians, who suppose the world to be founded 
upon the back of an elephant, while that elephant is supported by the 
shell of a tortoise ; and who, perfectly satisfied with such a discovery, 
attempt not to understand any more of the matter. 

A system of morality, how beautiful soever it may appear, unless it 
be supported by doctrines of the utmost consistency and firmness, may 
be compared to a splendid palace erected upon the sands : in some un- 
expected storm it will assuredly be swept away, proving, at once, the 
disgrace of its builder, and the ruin of its inhabitant. 



CHAPTER IX. 

An appeal to experience. 

Experience goes far in the decision of many difficult questions, and 
before it the most subtle sophism cannot long maintain its ground. To 
this, therefore, we cheerfully appeal for the happy effects of the Gospel. 
Ye incredulous sages of the day, show us a single enemy to the doctrines 
of revelation, who may truly be called an humble man, conducting him- 
self soberly, justly, and religiously, in all the trying circumstances of 
life. Through the whole circle of your infidel acquaintance, you will 
seek such a one in vain. 



^16 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 

If it be said that J. J. Rousseau, though a professed skeptic, presented 
us with the portrait of a perfectly honest man : we answer, in the first 
place, that J. J. Rousseau rejected not the Gospel as an obstinate enemy; 
but rather counted it an affliction that he was unable to embrace its doc- 
trines. And, secondly, that this philosopher was equally destitute of 
humility and religion. 

It must be confessed that there are multitudes of inconsistent persons 
in the world, who constantly deceive themselves, and who frequently 
delude others, by their fallacious notions of faith and incredulity. We 
meet with many, who, while they rank themselves in the number of 
believers, are usually employed in the works of infidels. And, on the 
other hand, we observe divers penitent worshippers, who, through an 
excess of humility, account themselves no better than infidels, while 
they manifest in their conduct the fidelity of Christians. But these par- 
ticular exceptions are insufficient to destroy the general rule here con- 
tended for : since the former must be looked upon as believers, and the 
latter as infidels, only in appearance. The first have not sincerity 
enough to acknowledge their secret incredulity ; and the last have not 
light sufficient to determine their exact advancement in the Christian 
faith. The latter deserve qur pity, while the former merit our in- 
dignation. 

But turn your eyes upon an enlightened believer. Behold St. Paul, 
after his memorable submission to the persecuted Jesus ! The love of 
God possesses his soul, and he consecrates all his powers to the service 
of his exalted Master. Appointed to instruct the ignorant, he discharges 
his important commission with indefatigable zeal. Carrying to the 
afflicted both spiritual and temporal succours, he appears to be borne 
from east to west, as upon the wings of an eagle. He is ready to spend 
and be spent for the common interests of mankind. He proves his 
fidelity and gratitude to Christ at the hazard of his life. His magna- 
nimity and fortitude, his resignation and patience, his generosity and 
candour, his benevolence and constancy, are at once, the amazement of 
his enemies and the glory of his followers. Behold this converted 
Pharisee, and acknowledge the wondrous efficacy of evangelical 
doctrines. 

Ye slaves of philosophical prejudice ! how long will you mistake the 
nature of doctrines so happily adapted to humble supercilious man, so 
perfectly calculated to destroy both presumption and despair ; to bend 
the most hardened under the tender pressure of mercy, and carry up 
grateful believers to the sublimest summit of virtue 1 Behold three 
thousand Jews submitting, at the same instant, to the constraining power 
of these doctrines. Through their transcendent efficacy, innumerable 
miracles are still daily operated among us. They dispel the mists of 
ignorance, they destroy the seeds of injustice, they extinguish irregular 
desires, and open in the heart a source of universal charity ! Thus, 
J? the multitude of them that [formerly] believed were of one heart and 
one soul," &c. Enjoying together the sovereign Good, it was not pos- 
sible for them to contend with each other for the trifling enjoyments of 
time and sense. God had given them his only begotten Son ; how then 
could they refuse any thing to their indigent brethren ! 

Jjong after St. Luke had borne testimony to the unexampled charity 



THE PORTRAIT OF ST. 1'AUL. 217 

of Christians, we find Tertullian citing the following testimony, which 
his heathen cotemporaries were constrained to bear in favour of the same 
Christian virtue. " Behold," say they, " how these Christians love, and 
are prepared to die for each other !" " Yes," adds this celebrated 
Christian father, " we who have but one heart and one soul are not 
afraid to have one purse. Among us all things are common, except 
our wives."* 

If the testimony here produced should be disregarded, because drawn 
from the writings of a professed advocate for Christianity, we will 
readily come to another test. Pliny bears witness to the pure conver- 
sation of the persecuted Christians of his time. And the Emperor 
Julian himself, one of the most enlightened, as well as implacable ene- 
mies of Christianity, exhorted his heathen subjects to practise among 
themselves the duties of charity, after the example of Christians, " who 
abound," said he, "in acts of benevolence." And as to the joy, with 
which they sacrificed their lives, when occasion so required, " they go," 
continues he, " to death as bees swarm to the hive." Such influence 
have the doctrines of our holy religion upon the conduct of its sincere 
professors, even by the confession of their inveterate enemies. 

It appears, then, that St. Paul was employed like an experienced 
moralist, while he was engaged in erecting the sacred edifice of 
morality upon the solid foundation of evangelical truths. And the 
doctrines he made choice of, as peculiarly suited to this purpose, were 
those which respect the mercy of God in Christ Jesus. Upon these he 
laid the greatest stress, and from these he drew his most persuasive 
arguments to virtue and piety. Witness that memorable exhortation 
delivered to his Roman converts : " I beseech you, brethren, by the 
mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, 
acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service," Rom. xii, 1. 

To withhold from the degenerate this cheering truth that " they are 
bought with a price," 1 Cor. vi, 20, is to deny them one of the most 
powerful motives to love and glorify " God in their bodies and in their 
souls," which appertain to him by the endearing right of redemption, 
as well as by that original right of creation, to which they are generally 
rendered insensible by the afflictions and disappointments of life. In- 
struct them concerning the sanctity of the Divine law ; set before them 
the guilt of their innumerable offences, and the just fears to which such 
discoveries must naturally give rise, will make existence itself an 
intolerable burden. But when the Gospel of our redemption begins to 
dissipate their doubts, and allay the anguish of their remorse, they will be 
enabled to go on their way rejoicing through the strictest paths of obe- 
dience and morality. 

* Vide, inquiunt [gentes] ut [isti Christiani] invicem se diligunt, et ut pro alte- 
rutro mori sunt parati. Qui animo animaque miscemur, nihil de rei communications 
dubitamus. Omnia indiscreta sunt apud nos, pr&ter ujoores. Apologeticus, 
Ahap. .39. 



218 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 



CHAPTER X. 



An objection answered, which maybe drawn from the ill conduct of unholy 
Christians, to prove the inutility of the doctrines of the Gospel. 

They who exalt philosophy against revelation, imagine that, to in. 
validate the preceding reflections, they need only make the following 
reply : " All Christians receive the apostles' creed ; but their faith is un- 
attended with the happy effects you have been recounting. Crimes of 
every kind are committed by the disciples of Jesus ; and their doctrines, 
instead of producing charity, engender little else than dispute and 
persecution !" The serious nature of this objection demands a suit- 
able reply. 

A true Christian was never known to be a persecutor. The cruel 
disputes which have arisen among faithless Christians have not neces- 
sarily sprung from the nature of Scriptural doctrines, but rather from the 
pride of those tyrannical doctors, who have contended for their parti- 
cular explications of such doctrines. To insinuate, then, that the 
doctrines of the Gospel should be utterly rejected, because some Church- 
men have taken occasion from them to stir up vehement contests, would 
scarcely be less absurd, than to contend that anarchy is to be preferred 
before an excellent code of laws, because unprincipled lawyers are ac- 
customed to foment strife, and have it always in their power to protract 
a cause. As to the extravagant explications, which the subtilty or 
power of men has substituted in the place of evangelical doctrines, they 
can no more be said to prove the falsity or unprofitableness of such 
doctrines, than the detested policy of tyrants can weaken the force of 
that apostolic precept, "Let every soul be subject unto the higher 
powers," Rom. xiii. But let us come to the main knot of the difficulty. 

They who have unfeignedly embraced the doctrines of Christ, far 
from indulging in any species of vice, have carried every virtue to a 
degree of perfection, surpassing almost the conception of other men. 
Rousseau and Montesquieu acknowledge, that even in those countries 
where the Gospel has but imperfectly taken root, rebellions have been 
less frequent than in other places. The same acknowledgment must 
be made by every unprejudiced observer, with regard to crimes of every 
kind. Many offences, it must be owned, are every where common 
among the professors of Christianity ; but they would have been abun- 
dantly more frequent if antichristian philosophers had been able to take 
from them the little respect they still retain for a revealed Gospel. 
Moreover, there are many rare virtues which chiefly flourish hi secret : 
and they who deserve the name of Christians, might astonish incredulity 
itself, had not Christ commanded them to perform their best services 
in so private a manner, that the left hand might not know how the right 
was engaged. 

Nothing can be more unjust than to impute those evils to the Christian 
religion, which evidently flow from incredulity and superstition, fanaticism, 
and hypocrisy. Jesus Christ requires of his followers an ardent love 
both to God and man ; such a love as was exemplified in the whole of 
his own conduct through life. The incredulous deny, either wholly or in 
part, the debt of grateful love, which the innumerable mercies of God 






THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 219 

impose upon them ; since while the Atheist refuses to acknowledge him 
as the Creator and Preserver of man, the Deist rejects him as the 
Author of our redemption and sanctincation. The superstitious, indeed, 
acknowledge these immense debts ; but they pretend to pay them with 
idle ceremonies and vain repetitions of tedious forms. The fanatic 
attempts to discharge them with unfruitful fervours, and the hypocrite with 
studied grimace. But these errors cannot reasonably be considered in 
common with our holy religion, which exposes and condemns them all. 

The life of a Christian, so called, must necessarily become pure, 
when he is actually possessed of Christian faith, i. e. when he is strongly 
persuaded that he walks in the presence of the Almighty, who, being his 
Father by creation, becomes so in a still more affectionate and effectual 
manner, by the mysterious exertions of his redeeming and sanctifying 
grace. These three astonishing operations of the Supreme Being are 
andoubtedly three grand evidences of his love to man, and must be con- 
sidered as so many abundant sources of Christian charity, among the 
members of his Church. Hence the man, who acknowledges but one 
of these proofs, cannot possibly be united either to his brethren, or to his 
God, with so ardent an affection as he who admits and experiences all 
the three. The Divine charity here spoken of is produced in the heart 
by means of faith, and from it proceeds every social virtue, with every 
praiseworthy action. 

All this is conformable both to reason and experience. A weak sub- 
ject will fear to disobey a powerful king, whose eye is actually fixed 
upon him : at least, so long as he is penetrated with this thought, " The 
king observes me." A son will never exalt himself against a good 
father, while he believes that his father, in every possible sense, is good 
with respect to him. Brethren, who cordially acknowledge each other 
as such, will not dare to abuse one another in the presence of a father 
who is infinitely powerful. And while he leads them to take possession 
of a kingdom, which his generosity has divided among them, they will 
not threaten to murder each other, under the eyes of their parent, for 
the possession of any little enjoyment that presents itself upon the 
road. The sons of Jacob had never sold their brother Joseph, if they 
had been firmly persuaded that Israel would one day discover their 
crime : and they would have conceived the greatest horror, had they 
really believed that their heavenly Father was present at the impious 
action, resolving to call them, at some future season, to a severe account, 
in the face of the world. A faith, which has no influence upon the 
conduct, is no other than the faith of hypocrites, upon whom our Lord 
denounces the most terrible judgments, threatening them with everlasting 
banishment from his presence, into that outer darkness, where shall be 
" weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth. I will show thee my faith," 
saith St. James, "by my works," James ii, 18. "If any man say," 
continues St. John, " I believe in God, I love God, and hateth his 
brother, he is a liar," 1 John iv, 20. The same principles, which in 
the present moment gain the ascendency in man, give rise to the words 
and actions of the moment. And hence that saying of the apostle, 
f* Whosoever abideth in him [Christ] sinneth not : whosoever sinneth 
hath not seen him," through the medium of a true and lively faith, 
1 John hi 3 6. 



220 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 

If there are found professors of Christianity, in whom the truths of 
the Gospel have failed to produce a holy conversation, we may take it 
for granted that such persons are infidels in disguise, and totally unac- 
quainted with the Gospel, except it be in theory. The faith which is 
common to these nominal Christians is purely speculative, not differing 
less from the solid faith of a true believer than a sun upon canvass 
differs from that which spreads light and heat among surrounding 
worlds. As a plant cannot be nourished by the supeificial application 
of strange sap to its rind, but by a sap peculiar to its own nature, which 
flowing beneath its bark, penetrates, enlivens, and nourishes every part 
of the plant : so the conduct of a man cannot possibly be reformed by 
notions of doctrines collected from books, but by those which, pene- 
trating beyond his judgment, insinuate themselves into his heart, and 
become incorporated wiih his very being. 

This answer cannot jusdy be regarded as a vain subterfuge. To be 
convinced of its solidity, it will be sufficient to consider how the soul is 
affected according to the different degrees of any impression that is 
made upon it. While Jacob was still lamenting the supposed death of 
Joseph, Reuben informed him that his beloved son was yet alive, and 
enjoying the second place of dignity in Egypt. These tidings at first 
appeared delusive to the good old man, who was no otherwise affected 
by them than by some extravagant relation. But when the affirmations 
of Reuben were seconded by the joint testimony of his other sons, his 
earnest attention was immediately excited, his incredulity was gradually 
overcome, and his fainting heart began to revive. The wagons and 
presents of Joseph now appearing in confirmation of his children's 
report, his doubls were entirely dissipated. " My son," cried he, " is 
yet alive ! I will go and see him before I die.' 5 This animating per- 
suasion, Joseph is yet, alive, seemed to restore the languishing patriarch 
to all the vigour of former years. He renounced a terrestrial Canaan ; 
he turned his back upon the tombs of Isaac and Rachel ; and with all 
the courage of youth set forward to embrace his newly- discovered son 
in Egypt. So certain it is, that a truth in which we are deeply inte- 
rested, will change in some degree our very nature, and modify the 
soul itself. 

Thus the Gospel of God our Saviour affects every true believer. 
And why should Egypt have greater charms than heaven 1 Or why 
should an invitation from the virtuous son of Rachel have greater weight 
than that which comes from the Divine Son of Mary? Were the fruits 
which Joseph sent his father to be preferred before those of the Spirit, 
with which Christ replenishes his favoured Israel 1 Gal. v, 22, 23 : or 
did the dissembling sons of Jacob merit greater credit than the apostles 
of our exalted Lord, though seconded by that noble army of martyrs, 
who have sealed with their blood the truths of the Gospel ? Alas ! if 
the fundamental doctrines of this Gospel (for we speak not here of those 
human additions by which it is too frequently disfigured and weakened) 
had but deeply penetrated our hearts, we should bear testimony, by our 
conduct, to the truth of the following assertion : "If any man be [indeed 
a Christian,] he is a new creature ; old things are passed away ; all 
Jiings are become new," 2 Cor. v, 17. 

But why should we go back tp the times of Jacob to prove that 



THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 221 

doctrines have an influence upon the conduct of men in proportion to the 
degree of faith with which they are received ? Let us return and cast 
a retrospective view upon the various circumstances of our past life. 
If we have at any time felt a lively persuasion of the truth of the 
Gospel ; if at our first approaching the sacramental table, or after hearing 
some pathetic sermon, we have really believed " that God was in Christ 
reconciling the world unto himself," 2 Cor. v, 19, and promising his 
people, in return for their temporary labours, everlasting rewards ; have 
we not, at such a moment, perceived the love of God and man springing 
up in our hearts ? Now, if this partial persuasion had spread itself 
through the whole soul, would not our devotion, our humility, and our 
charity have been carried to a much higher degree of perfection than 
we have hitherto experienced ? Would not our good works, of every 
kind, have been abundantly more excellent and numerous than we can 
now possibly pretend to 1 

On the other hand let us look back to the days of youth, and we shall 
recollect a time in which the doctrines of the Gospel began to lose the 
little influence they had once maintained over our conduct : we shall 
remember, at least, when the licentious principles of worldly men and 
the false maxims of infidel philosophers insinuated themselves into our 
corrupted hearts. And have we not, since that time, experienced that 
the strictest connection subsists between those maxims and immorality ? 
Have we not, from that unhappy period, become more debauched in 
sentiment, less circumspect in our outward beha\ iour, and more disposed 
to trample upon the principles of natural religion, as well as upon 
evangelical precepis ? From these observations we shall proceed to 
draw the following inferences : — 

1. If morality may be compared to a tree, whose fruit is for the 
nourishment of mankind, true doctrines may be considered as the roots 
of this tree. Take away these doctrines, under pretence that they 
embarrass morality, and you ridiculously cut away the roots of this 
sacred plant, lest they should prove an impediment to its rising perfection. 
Now he who thus seeks the morality of the Gospel by reprobating: 
evangelical doctrines, would act entirely consistent with his character^ 
were he to plant his orchards with trees deprived of their roots in order 
that they might produce the more excellent fruit. 

2. As in the vegetable kingdom fruits are nourished and matured by 
that vegetative energy which draws the sap from the root, refining, and 
distributing it among the several branches ; so in the moral world? 
charity and good works can only be produced by that living faith which 
first receives the doctrines of truth, and then becomes a kind of vehicle 
to their invigorating virtue. This faith v> T as rightly characterized by 
Christ and his apostles, when they represented it as the grace by which- 
we are principally saved ; since this grace alone is capable of producing 
in us that lively hope, that ardent charity, and that universal obedience, 
which will ever distinguish the believer from the infidel. He, therefore, 
who declaims against this Scriptural faith, whether he be a novice or a 
philosopher, indirectly pleads the cause of vice, and gives sufficient 
proof of his spiritual ignorance. 

3. From what has been advanced, we may infer the necessity there 
is of avoiding the mistakes of the Gnostics on the one hand, and the 



222 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 

error of incredulous sages on the other : the former of whom, contending 
for a speculative faith, salute Christ as their Lord, though they refuse to 
obey his commands ; while the latter, holding faith in the utmost derision, 
and depending upon their own power for the performance of every good 
work, pollute, by unworthy motives, the most excellent of their actions. 



CHAPTER XI. 

The same subject continued. 

As many have taken great offence in observing how little effect the 
doctrines of the Gospel have upon the lives of Christians, so called, it 
becomes us here to inquire into the causes of this grand evil. 

The doctrines which distinguish Christianity from Theism have this 
peculiarity, that no man can possibly receive them unless he has first 
sincerely embraced the doctrines of Theism. He must believe in God 
before he can believe in Christ ; he must have the sincerity of an honest 
heathen before he comes to the possession of Christian charity. It is 
usual with the whole multitude of outward professors to cry out in their 
public services, " We believe in Jesus Christ ; we believe in the Holy 
Ghost," &c, though their faith, it may be, is not equal to that of devils, who 
believe in the existence of a rewarding and avenging God, with sincerity 
sufficient to make them tremble before him. These hypocrites can no 
more be said to believe, from the heart, the latter articles of the apostles' 
creed, than those children who are yet unacquainted with the alphabet 
may be said to have perused and digested the most profound authors. 
The higher doctrines of the Gospel must necessarily appear both useless 
and absurd to those whose faith in God is not sufficient to penetrate 
them with a holy fear ; for as we cannot arrive at manhood without first 
passing through the state of infancy, so we cannot cordially receive the 
latter part of the apostles' creed, till we have first embraced the former 
part by a lively and steadfast faith. Why did Caiaphas refuse to believe 
in Christ 1 Because he was but a hypocrite with respect to the Jewish 
faith. On the contrary, why did Cornelius, the centurion, so readily 
believe ? It was, undoubtedly, because the sincerity of his faith in God 
had prepared his heart for the reception of faith in Christ. " Every 
man," saith this Divine Saviour, " that hath heard, and hath learned of 
the Father, cometh unto me," John vi, 45. " Ye who believe in God, 
believe also in me : and I will pray the Father, and he shall give you 
another Comforter, even the Spirit of truth," John xiv, 1, 16, 17. 

These fundamental doctrines compose the ladder of evangelical truth, 
in which he who takes offence at any single step, runs a double hazard ; 
that of ascending no higher, and even that of falling from the step where 
he has obstinately determined to take up his rest. " He that doeth 
truth, cometh to the light," John rii, 21 ; but he that refuses the first 
truths, places himself beyond the possibility of receiving those which 
are of a more sublime nature. If he has not first observed the dawn 
of the Gospel day, he can never contemplate our Divine Sun, when 
shining in his meridian brightness. 

The articles of the Christian faith may be compared to a course Of 



THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL, 223 

geometrical propositions, the last of which always suppose a perfect 
knowledge of the first. To require of spiritual infants any high and 
important acts of faith in Jesus Christ, or in the Holy Spirit, before they 
are taught to entertain just notions of the Supreme Being, would be 
equally unreasonable as for a man to pretend that it is possible to make 
a good geometrician of an ignorant peasant, by instructing him to repeat 
the terms of Euclid's last propositions, without ever bringing him to a 
true understanding of the first. If, then, the generality of Christians 
are contented with learning merely to repeat our doctrinal terms, we 
must expect to see them as far from manifesting the virtues of St. Paul 
as the superficial peasant from possessing the solidity of Euclid. 



CHAPTER XII. 

Other reasons given for the little influence which the foregoing doctrines 
are observed to Jiave upon Christians in general. 

Profitably to teach the doctrines of the Gospel, there are certain 
rules necessary to be observed ; and where these rules are either 
unknown or neglected, the Gospel becomes of little importance. 

1. A true doctrine, in order to have its due effect, must be announced 
with purity. It should neither be mutilated by hasty contractions, nor 
corrupted by vain additions. The prince of error equally serves his 
own interest by perplexing the truth, as by spreading a falsehood : and 
when errors are added to evangelical truths, those truths may be com- 
pared to excellent medicines unhappily mingled with dangerous poisons. 
Thus the doctrine of future punishments is not only deprived of its utility, 
but becomes really pernicious, by the addition of another doctrine, which 
teaches that a sum of money, left as the price of prayer for a departed 
soul, will effectually soften, and even terminate its pains. 

2. A doctrine should not only be delivered in the purest manner, but 
they who announce it should study to demonstrate its excellency and 
power by the whole course of their conduct. Were leprous physicians 
to cry up a specific against the leprosy, it cannot be imagined that lepers 
in general would anxiously adopt a remedy which had been attended 
with so little effect upon the recommenders of it. We here intimate, 
not without the utmost regret, that too many of the clergy destroy the 
effect of their doctrines by the immorality of their conduct. 

3. To give Scriptural doctrines their full effect, it is necessary to make 
them pass from the understanding to the will, or from the judgment to 
the heart of those who admit them. It would be in vain to procure for 
a patient the most efficacious remedy, if, instead of applying it according 
to the method prescribed, he should think it sufficient to touch it with 
his lips, or should content himself with drawing in the grateful odour 
exhaling from it. To such a patient, however, the greater part of 
Christians bear a strict resemblance, who speculate upon the Gospel 
without ever embracing it with that lively "faith which worketh by 
love," Gal. v, 6. 

4. It is not sufficient that these doctrines should be preached in their 
native purity ; but it is equally necessary that they should be preserved 



224 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. TAUt. 

in the same purity by those who receive them. Our Lord makes this 
solemn declaration to sinners : " Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise 
perish." Yet how is it that many thousand Christians who admit this 
important truth, remain in the present day in a state of impenitence ? 
It is because they mingle with it the following pernicious error : though 
I spend the present moment in sin, God will assuredly give me grace to 
repent in the latter part of my life. Hence that lamentable inattention 
to the duties of religion which is so universal among us at this day. 

5. Very frequently the doctrines of the Gospel are attended with no 
considerable effect upon those who admit them, because the salutary 
operation of these truths is counteracted by the powerful influence of 
earthly desires indulged in the heart. Thus, in a disordered stomach, 
the most wholesome food is deprived of its virtue. To remedy this evil, 
it is necessary to enter upon a regimen too severe to be regarded by an 
obstinate patient, and upon the absolute necessity of which an inattentive 
physician will not peremptorily insist. 

6. Where the doctrines of the most humiliating tendency have not 
first made a deep impression, there the consolatory doctrines of the 
Gospel tend only to uphold the sinner in a course of impiety. Those 
preachers who favour the false judgment of worldly men, wanting either 
courage or experience wisely to administer the doctrines of the Gospel 
so that they may alarm the impenitent and console the dejected ; these 
preachers, instead of eradicating, do but increase the evil we lament. 
It cannot, indeed, be denied, that they offer many sacred truths to the 
World ; but, while they do not nicely distinguish and apply them to the 
different states of their hearers, as they only draw their bow at a venture, 
it is no wonder that their arrows so frequently fall beside the mark. 
These perplexers of truth contribute as little to the conversion of sinners, 
as a physician would contribute to the recovery of the sick, who, without 
any prudent selection, compounding together all the drugs of an excel- 
lent pharmacopoeia, should indiscriminately offer the same confused 
recipe to every patient. 

7. The doctrines of Christianity are frequently delivered as the opinions 
of men, rather than as the declarations of God, founded upon events 
much better attested than the most certain historical facts : and to this 
single error the inefficacy of those doctrines may, in a good degree, be 
imputed. Were reason and conscience made to walk in the front of the 
Gospel, the want of a Redeemer would be more universally experienced 
in the world than it has hitherto been. But while the preachers of that 
Gospel neglect to assert the depravity of human nature ; or while they 
omit, in confirmation of so melancholy a truth, to make the most solemn 
appeals to the consciences of men, so long we may expect to see their 
ill-directed labours universally unsuccessful. Had these teachers in 
Israel an experimental acquaintance with those truths upon which they 
presume openly to descant, their word would speedily be attended with 
unusual efficacy ; their example would give it weight ; and in answer 
to their fervent prayers, the God of all grace would set his seal to the 
truth of the Gospel. 

Whenever the messengers of religious truth shall become remarkable 
for the purity of their lives, and the fervency of their zeal, their doctrines 
will soon be attended with sufficient influence in the Christian world to 



THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL; 



225 



Overthrow the objection we have here been considering, and effectually 
to stop the mouth of every gainsayer* 



CHAPTER XIII. 

The doctrines of Christianity have an obscure side. The reasons of this 
obscurity. The error of some philosophers in this respect. 

"The Gospel," says J. J. Rousseau, "is accompanied with marks of 
truth so great, so striking, so perfectly inimitable, that the inventor of it 
appears abundantly more admirable than its hero. But, after all, mis' 
Gospel is filled with incredible things, with things that are repugnant to 
reason, and which no sensible man can possibly conceive or admit.'* 
" Remove all the difficulties," continue the admirers of this philosopher, 
" dissipate all the obscurity with which its doctrines are surrounded, and 
we will cheerfully embrace the Gospel." 

Extraordinary things appear always incredible, in proportion to our 
ignorance. Thus, an ignorant negro of Guinea would look upon that 
man as a deceiver who should assert that there are places in the world 
where the surfaces of rivers become so solid, at particular seasons, that, 
without bridge or boat, whole armies may pass them dryshod. And it 
is well known, that the doctrine of antipodes gave no less offence to the 
celebrated geographers of a former age, than is unhappily given to the 
Deistical sages of modern times by the doctrine of a Divine Trinity. 

As we become better acquainted with spiritual things, instead of 
despising the truths of the Gospel as altogether incredible, we shall be 
truly convinced that J. J« Rousseau passed the same kind of judgment 
upon the doctrines of Christianity, as a savage might be expected to pass 
upon some late discoveries in natural philosophy. The sciences present 
a hundred difficulties to the minds of young students. By entering upon 
an obscure course, they at length attain to superior degrees of illumina- 
tion : but, after all the indefatigable labours of the most learned profes- 
sor, the highest knowledge he can possibly acquire will be mingled with' 
darkness and error. If men of wisdom, however, do not look with 
contempt upon those sciences which are usually taught among us, be- 
cause all of them are attended with difficulties, and most of them are 
too abstruse to permit a thorough investigation : how absurd would it be 
in us, for these insufficient reasons, to reject that revelation which may 
be considered as the science of celestial things 1 

To despise the doctrines of the Gospel, because they are attended with 
some degree of obscurity, is to act in as full contrariety to the dictates 
of philosophy, as to those of revelation. No follower of J. J. Rousseau 
could blame us, without reproaching himself, if, arguing from the erro- 
neous principles of his master, we should make the following declara- 
tions : — " Natural philosophy abounds with incredible things which no 
sensible man can either conceive or admit. I have arteries, it is said, which 
Carry my blood, with a sensible pulsation, from the heart to the extremi- 
ties of my body ; and veins, which, without any pulsation, reconduct that 
blood to the heart : but since the union of the arteries and veins is, to 
me, an inconceivable mystery, I cannot admit the generally received 
opinion respecting the circulation of the blood. I see that the needle 

Vol. III. 15 



226 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 

of the compass perpetually turns itself toward the pole, and 1 have 
observed that the loadstone communicates to it this disposition : but, as 
it cannot be ascertained how all this is effected, I look upon all the 
voyages of Anson and Cook, which are said to have been performed by 
means of the compass, just as infidels are accustomed to look upon the 
Gospel. I will no longer increase the number of those idiots who unthink- 
ingly pass over a bridge while they are perfectly unacquainted with the 
plan upon which it was built ; and who vulgarly depend upon their 
watches with regard to the regulation of time, without being thoroughly 
versed in the mechanism of timepieces. I will never again be persuaded 
to take a medical preparation till I have penetrated into the deepest 
mysteries of physic and chemistry. In short, I resolve neither to eat nor 
to drink ; neither to sow my grounds, nor to gaze upon the sun, till I am 
enabled perfectly to comprehend whatever is mysterious in vegetation, 
light, and digestion." If the preceding declarations might reasonably be 
considered as evident tokens of a weak and puerile judgment, the follow- 
ing affirmation undoubtedly deserves to be considered in the same point of 
view : — " I grant that the science of physics has its unfathomable mys- 
teries : but, as a philosopher of the first rank, I insist upon it, that nothing 
of a mysterious nature should be suffered to pass in religion, that deep 
metaphysical science, which has for its objects the Father of spirits, the 
relation in which those spirits stand to their incomprehensible Parent, 
their properties, their light, their nourishment, their growth, their dis- 
tempers, and their remedies, their degeneracy, and their perfection." Ye 
who are anxious to be saluted as lovers of wisdom, if such be the absur- 
dity of your common objections against the Gospel of God our Saviour, 
what poor pretensions have you to the boasted name of philosophers ! 

This answer may be supported by the following observations ;— 

In the present world we serve a kind of spiritual apprenticeship to 
" the truth, which is after godliness," Tit. i, 1 ; and it is not usual hastily 
to reveal the secrets of an art to such as have but lately bound them- 
selves to any particular profession. This privilege is justly reserved for 
those whose industry and obedience have merited so valuable a testi- 
mony of their master's approbation, See John xiv, 21. 

A physical impossibility of discovering, at present, certain obscure 
truths, forms the veil by which they are effectually concealed from our 
view. In order to form a perfect judgment of the material sun, it is 
necessary, in the first place, to take a near survey of it : but this can- 
not possibly be done with bodies of a like constitution with ours. The 
same may be said of the Father of lights. God, as a spiritual Sun, 
enlightens, even now, the souls of the just : but while they continue im- 
prisoned in tenements of clay, their views of his matchless glory must 
necessarily be indistinct, since they can only "behold him through a 
glass darkly," 1 Cor. xiii, 12. Hence we argue with St. Paul, that as 
spiritual things are spiritually discerned, the natural man can never truly 
comprehend and embrace them, but in proportion as he becomes spirit- 
ually minded by regeneration. 

The wise Author of our existence initiates us not immediately into the 
mysteries which lie concealed under many of our doctrines, for the very 
same reason that a mathematician conceals the most abstruse parts of 
his science from the notice of his less intelligent pupils. If a preceptor 



THE rORTKAIT OF ST. PAUB, ^27 

should affect to bring children acquainted with all the difficulties of alge- 
bra, before they had passed through the first rules of arithmetic, such 
an attempt would deservedly be looked upon as ridiculous and vain, 
And is it not equally absurd to expect that the profoundest mysteries of 
the Gospel should be opened to us, before we have properly digested 
its introductory truths, or duly attended to its lowest precepts 1 

The Almighty will never perform a useless work, nor ever afford an 
unseasonable discovery. For the practice of solid piety, it is by no 
means necessary that we should be permitted to fathom the depth of 
every spiritual mystery. It is enough that fundamental truths are re- 
vealed, with sufficient perspicuity, to produce in us that faith which is 
the mother of charity. When the Gospel has proposed to us the truths 
which give rise to this humble faith, and presented us with such motives 
as evidently lead to the most disinterested charity, it has then furnished 
us with every thing we stand in need of to work out for ourselves a glo- 
rious salvation. The followers of Christ are required to tread in the 
steps of their Master, and not deeply to speculate upon the secret things 
of his invisible kingdom. 

If a clear knowledge of the mysterious side of our doctrines is no 
more necessary to man in his present state, than an acquaintance with 
every thing that respects the art of printing is necessary to a child who 
is studying the alphabet ; why then do we peevishly complain of the 
sacred writers, for not having thrown light sufficient upon some particu- 
lar points to satisfy an inordinate curiosity ? Our scruples on this head 
should be silenced by the constant declarations of those very writers, that 
the time of perfection is not yet arrived ; that they themselves were 
acquainted but in part with the mysteries of the kingdom ; and that the 
language of mortality is unsuitable to the sublimity of Divine things. 
The sea has its unfathomable abysses, and an extent unknown to the 
most experienced navigators : but notwithstanding all this uncertainty, 
the merchant is perfectly contented, if he can but glide securely over 
its surface to the port for which he is bound. 

If we are placed here in a state of probation, it is reasonable that our 
understanding, as well as our will, should be brought to the trial. But 
how shall the Almighty proceed to make proof either of the self suf- 
ficiency, or the diffidence of our understanding ? No happier method 
could certainly be adopted than that of pointing us to such truths as are 
partly manifest and partly concealed, that we may search them out 
with diligence, if there be a possibility of comprehending them ; or, if 
placed above the highest stretch of our faculties, expect with patience a 
future revelation of them. 

To acquire and manifest dispositions of a truly Divine nature, is pos- 
sible only under a religious economy, whose doctrines are in some 
degree mysterious, and whose morality has something in it painful to 
human nature. Why then do those persons who affect to be wiser than! 
their neighbours, universally take offence at such a religion ? If a mys- 
terious veil is thrown over the operations of nature and the workings of 
Providence, why should we expect the more wonderful operations of 
grace to be laid unreservedly open to every eye 1 Philosophy, it is pre- 
sumed, will not dare thus foolishly to destroy the rules of analogy. 
Humility is necessary to the perfection of our understanding no less than 



228 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL, 

sagacity and penetration, on which account God is pleased to bring our 
humility to the test. And this he does by discovering to us so much of 
truth as may enable us to recognize it on its first appearance ; at the same 
time, permitting the objects of faith to be surrounded with difficulties 
sufficient to leave room for the exercise of that humble confidence in his 
veracity, and that true poverty of spirit which philosophers are pleased 
to hold up as just objects of ridicule. Sound knowledge, however, and 
unaffected humility, will always keep pace with each other. Hence that 
memorable confession of Socrates, " All that I know is, that I know 
nothing." And hence that remarkable declaration of St. Paul, "If any 
man think that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he 
ought to know." 

It is impossible that any thing should have a greater tendency to keep 
man at a distance from God, than that arrogant self sufficiency with 
which modern free thinkers are usually puffed up. This unhappy dis- 
position must be totally subdued before we can come to the fountain head 
of pure intelligence, James i, 5. And to effect this, the Almighty per- 
mits our understanding to be embarrassed and confounded, till it is eon- 
strained to bow before his supreme wisdom, in acknowledgment of its 
own imbecility. But it is always with the utmost difficulty, and not till after 
a thousand vain devices have been practised, that human nature can be 
forced into this state of self abasement. Here Socrates and St. Paul may 
be regarded as happy companions, experiencing, in common, that sub- 
missive meekness, and that profound humility, which are so terrible to 
many professors of wisdom. And it is but reasonable that the piety of 
the one, and the philosophy of the other, should have been established 
upon the basis of those rare virtues which formed the ground of the fol- 
lowing address from Christ to his Father : "I thank thee, O Father ! 
Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hidden these things from 
the wise and the prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes," Matt, xi, 25. 

k becomes us so much the more to moderate the sallies of an impa- 
tient curiosity, with respect to truths of a mysterious nature, since Christ 
himself has given us an example of the obedience due to the following 
apostolic precept : — " Let no man think of himself more highly than he 
ought to think ; but let him think soberly, according as God hath dealt 
to every man the measure of faith," Rom. xii, 3. This condescending 
Saviour w r as content, as Son of man, to remain in the humble ignorance 
of which we speak. Ii~ in order to have satisfied his curiosity with 
respect to the day of judgment, he had attempted to explore the secret 
counsels of the Almighty, there can be no doubt but his gracious Father 
would have admitted him into that impenetrable sanctuary. But he 
rather chose to leave among his followers an example of the most per- 
fect respect and resignation to the will of that Father. 

What was said by St. Paul concerning heresies, may, with propriety, 
be applied to that obscurity which accompanies the doctrines of the 
Gospel. " There must be heresies among you, that they which are ap- 
proved may be made manifest," 1 Cor. xi, 19. Mons. de Voltaire, who 
saw not any utility in the proof here mentioned by the apostle, was 
accustomed to censure revelation, because the doctrines it proposes are 
incapable of such incontestable evidence as mathematical problems. He 
considered not that lines, circles, and triangles, falling immediately under 



TIIE'rORTRAIT OF ST. TAtTL. 229 

the senses, are subjects of investigation peculiarly suited to the natural 
man. He recollected not that many of Euclid's demonstrations are as 
incomprehensible to the greater part of mankind, as the mysteries of our 
holy religion are incomprehensible to the generality of philosophers. 
And lastly, he perceived not that, if all men were to pique themselves 
upon their skill in mathematics, and were equally interested in the pro- 
portions of circles, squares, and triangles, as in those relations which 
subsist between fallen man and an incomprehensible God, there would 
be excited, among ignorant mathematicians, as many warm disputes as 
are continually arising among ill-instructed Christians. 

The justness of these observations will become more apparent, if we 
consider the importance of that virtue, which is called, in Scripture lan- 
guage, " the obedience of faith," Rom. xvi, 26. Man originally suffered 
himself to be seduced with the hope of wonderful effects to be produced 
by the fruit of a mysterious tree ; founding his frail hope upon the simple 
declaration of the tempter. God, in order to humble the soul, is pleased 
to restore us through the hope of powerful effects to be produced by the 
truths of a mysterious revelation ; a sweet hope, whose only basis is the 
simple declaration of the God of truth. And it is undoubtedly reasonable, 
in every respect, that the cause of our restoration should be thus directly 
opposed to the cause of our fall. The obedience that is unattended with 
difficulties, can never be regarded as a reasonable proof of our fidelity 
to God. Had he merely commanded us to believe that " the whole is 
greater than a part," or that " two and two make four ;'' in such case no 
room would have been left for a reasonable distribution of rewards and 
punishments. The Deity could not possibly have been disobeyed, since 
we can no more refuse our assent to these manifest truths, than we can 
deny the existence of the sun, while we are rejoicing in his meridian 
brightness. It appears, therefore, perfectly necessary that every truth, 
proposed to the faith of man hi his probationary state, should have an 
obscure as well as a luminous side, that it may leave place for the mature 
deliberation, and, of consequence, for the merit or demerit of those who 
are called to " the obedience of faith." 

To desire a revelation without any obscurity, is to desire a day without 
night, a summer without winter, a sky without a cloud. And what should 
we gain by such an exchange ? Or rather, what should we not lose, if 
those intentional obscurities, which conceal some parts of celestial truth, 
should be as needful to man in his present situation, as those clouds which 
frequently deform the face of the heavens are beneficial to the earth ? 
The faith which is unaccompanied with any thing mysterious, no more 
merits the name of faith than the tranquillity of a man, who has never 
been in the way of danger, deserves the name of bravery. An expression 
of our Lord's to one of his doubting disciples is sufficient to throw the 
most convincing light upon this matter : " Thomas," said he, " because 
thou hast seen me, thou hast believed ;" but what recompense or praise 
can be due to such a faith 1 " Blessed are they that have not seen, and 
yet have believed," John xx, 29. 

To conclude : What occasion would there be for the exercise of either 
wisdom or virtue, were the one only good path presented so clearly to 
our view that it would be difficult to make choice of any other ? Or to 
what good purpose could true philosophy serve, which has no other use 



3 SO THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 

except that of teaching us to regulate our principles, and govern our 
actions, in a manner more suited to the perfection of our nature, than is 
customary with those who are led by prejudice and passion 1 

From all these observations it may justly be argued, that to insist upon 
having religious doctrines without obscurity, and a revelation without 
mystery, is to destroy the design of the Supreme Being, who hath placed 
us here in a state of trial. It is to confound the goal with the course, 
the conflict with the triumph, and earth with heaven. Nay more : it is 
to confound the creature with the Creator, That which is finite must 
never hope to comprehend the heights and depths of infinity. Arch- 
angels themselves, though endued with inconceivable degrees of wisdom 
and purity, will continually find unfathomable abysses in the Divine 
nature. And if so, is it not to abjure good sense, as well as revelation, 
to turn our backs upon the temple of truth, because there is found in it 
" a most holy place," where the profane are never suffered to enter, and 
the furniture of which even true worshippers can neither clearly explain 
nor fully comprehend? 



CHAPTER XIV. 

Tn answer to the grand objection of philosophers against the doctrines oj 
the Gospel, it is argued, that the advantages of the redemption are extended, 
in different degrees, to all mankind, through every period of the world. 

As sophistical reasoners had a hundred objections to propose against 
the doctrine of Socrates, who was a true philosopher, so the philosophers 
of this age are industriously framing objections to the doctrines of that 
Gospel which unerring Wisdom has announced to the world. To deter- 
mine, whether or not those objections are just and unanswerable, we 
shall here consider that which appears to be the most weighty in the 
balance of those two companions in error, Mons. de Voltaire and J. Jf. 
Rousseau. " If your doctrine of the redemption," say they, " is really as 
important as you represent it, why has it been preached only for these 
last eighteen centuries ? If it was of so much consequence to mankind, 
God, without doubt, would have published it sooner, and more univer- 
sally."* 

Answer. The doctrine of the redemption was not primarily neces- 
sary to mankind : since there was a time when unoffending man stood 
in no greater need of a Redeemer, than a healthy person stands in need 
of a physician. At that time natural religion was suitable to the state of 
man, and the doctrines of Deism were the spiritual food of his soul. But, 
as medicine is not less necessaiy than nutriment to a sick person, so 
fallen man stands in need of the Gospel, as well as of natural religion. 

* Mons. de Voltaire, in his Philosophical Dictionary, attacks Christianity, undes 
the name of Mohammedanism, in the following words:—" If it had been necessary 
to the world, it would have existed from the beginning of the world ; it would 
haye existed in every place. The Mohammedan religion therefore cannot be 
essentially necessary to man." J. J. Rousseau was perfectly of the same opinion, 
" I deny," says this writer, in his Emilius, " the necessity of receiving revelation, 
because this pretended obligation is incompatible with the justice of God. Should 
there be found in the universe a single person to whom Christ had never been 
preached, the objection would be as forcible on the part of that neglected indi- 
vidual, as for the fourth part of the human race." 



THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 231 

And as strong nourishment would be a species of poison to a man ener- 
vated by a raging fever, so the tenets of Theism, administered alone to a 
sinner, who burns with the disorderly fervours of pride, must inevitably 
prove fatal to the health of his soul. Thus the presumption of some 
philosophers is increased by the doctrines of Deism, as the fever of a 
debilitated patient is redoubled by those very cordials which would increase 
the strength of a vigorous person. And this may serve as a proof, that 
the natural religion of sinless man is as little adapted to man in his cor- 
rupt estate, as the sweet familiarity of an affectionate infant is suitable to 
the character of a daring and disobedient son. 

It is necessary here to observe, that there are two kinds of Deism ; 
that of the humble sinner, who is not yet acquainted with the Gospel, 
and that of the presumptuous reasoner, who rejects it with contempt. 
The Centurion Cornelius, who lived in the practice of piety before he 
was perfectly acquainted with Christ, and the penitent publican alluded 
to by our Lord, were Deists of (he first class, and such as might well be 
esteemed the younger brothers of Christians. The second class is made 
up of those Theists who trample revelation under their feet, and who may 
properly be called the presumptuous Pharisees of the present day. It is 
the haughty Deism of these men that a false philosophy would substitute 
in the place of the Gospel. The judicious author of The New Theolo- 
gical Dictionary has characterized these two kinds of Deism with an 
accuracy peculiar to himself. " Deism," says he, " was once on the 
high way from Atheism to Christianity; but to-day it is usually found 
upon the road from Christianity to Atheism." 

To assert that the doctrine of the redemption has been announced for 
no more than eighteen centuries, is to suppose there can be no appear- 
ance of light till the sun has risen above the horizon. So soon as the 
work of redemption became necessary, in that very day it was announced 
to man. When our first parents had received from their merciful Judge 
the sentence that condemned them to misery and death, he immediately 
gave them a promise, that in some future day a repairer of their evils 
should be born of woman, who should "bruise the head of the serpent," 
that is, who should crush, at once, all the power of the tempter, and the 
pride of the sinner. In consequence of this gracious covenant, which 
was, indeed, the first promulgation of the Gospel, God implanted in man 
an interior principle of redemption, a seed of regenerating grace, which 
should, in the end, spring up to everlasting life. Now this principle was 
nothing less than a ray from that living Word, which was afterward to 
be visibly united with our nature, in order to raise man from his disho- 
nourable fall, and, finally, to procure for him a state superior to that 
which he originally enjoyed. Nothing can be more explicit upon this 
point than the following declaration of St. John : " In Him [the living 
Word] was life ; and the life was the light of men. And the light shined 
in darkness ; and the darkness [in general] comprehended it not. This 
was [however] the true light, which lighteth [more or less] every man 
that cometh into the world," John i, 4, 9. When, therefore, a conceited 
free thinker superciliously exclaims, " If the doctrine of the redemption 
had been necessary it would have been published in the earliest ages of 
the world," such objection should serve as a manifest token of his igno- 
rance in this matter, since that important doctrine was mercifully an- 



232 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUju. 

pounced to the very first offender. If that doctrine was afterward cor- 
rupted by tradition ; if rebellious man began to exalt himself as his own 
saviour ; or if, through impatience, he set up false mediators, instead of 
patiently expecting the fulfilment of Jehovah's promise : all this evidently 
proves his extreme need of a Redeemer. In short, if the greater part 
of the Jewish nation rejected this Divine Saviour in the days of his out- 
ward manifestation, and if prejudiced Deists still continue to reject his 
offered assistance, all that can be proved by their unrelenting obstinacy 
is the greatness of their guilt, and the depth of their depravity : just as 
the conduct of a patient, who abuses his physician, suffices only to de- 
monstrate the excess of his delirium. 

Several reasons may be here produced, which might have engaged 
the Father of mercies to defer the external manifestation of our promised 
.Jiedeemer for a period of four thousand years. 

1. It is probable, that as every thing is discovered to operate gradually 
in the natural world, the same order might be established in the moral 
world. Even since the time of Christ's outward manifestation, the 
influence of his redeeming power has but gradually discovered itself in 
our yet benighted world. He himself compared the Gospel to a little 
leaven, which spreads itself by slow degrees over a bulky mass of meal ; 
and to a small seed, from which a noble plant is produced. To this we 
may add, that a portion of time, which appears long and tedious to us, 
appears wholly different in the eyes of the everlasting I AM, before 
whom a thousand years are no more than a fleeting day. 

2. If, immediately after the commission of sin, God had sent forth 
his Son into the world to raise us from our fall, before we had expe- 
rienced the melancholy effects of that fall ; such a hasty act, instead of 
manifesting the perfections of the Deity, would have drawn a veil of 
obscurity between us and them. The Divine mercy, discovered in 
Jesus Christ, might then have appeared as insignificant to us as to the 
arrogant Deist, who, notwithstanding the crimes with which the world 
has been polluted for near six thousand years, and in spite of those 
which he himself has added to the prodigious sum, has yet the audacity 
to assert, that there is no necessity for a Redeemer, that man is good in 
his present state, and that he may conduct himself honourably through 
it, without the assistance of regenerating grace. Hence it appears, that 
the outward manifestation of the Messiah was wisely deferred to a period 
of time far removed from the commencement of the fall. 

3. While the visible manifestation of Jesus was delayed, all things 
were put iri a state of due preparation for so great an event. And in 
the meantime the seed of regeneration, which was received by man, 
after God had pronounced the first evangelical promise, was as sufficient 
to save every penitent sinner, as the dawn of day is sufficient to direct 
every erring traveller. 

This merits an explanation. The first man, to whom the promise of 
redemption was made, contained in himself the whole of his posterity : 
and this promise, wonderfully powerful, as being the " word of God,^ ? 
Heb. iv, 12, had an indescribable effect upon the whole human race, 
implanting in man a seed of regeneration, a Logos, a reason, a con- 
science, a light, in short, a good principle, which, in every sincere 
inquirer after truth, has been nourished by the grace of God, and 



THIS rOKTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 233 

seconded by the pious traditions of patriarchs, prophets, apostles, evan- 
gelists, or true philosophers. Unhappy is it for those, who, stifling in 
themselves every gracious sentiment, have treated this internal principle 
as the Jews once treated their condescending Lord, and as obstinate 
sinners still continue to treat a preached Gospel. If such are not saved 
it is not through the want of an offered Saviour, but because they have 
wilfully shut their eyes against the twilight, the opening dawn, or the 
meridian brightness of the Gospel day. 

Nothing can be more unreasonable than the objection to which we 
now return an answer. To argue that God would be unjust, if having 
given a Saviour to the world, he should not reveal that Saviour in an 
equal degree to all mankind, is to argue that God is unjust, because, 
having given a sun to the earth, he has not ordained that sun equally to 
enlighten and cheer every part of the globe. Again : to insinuate that 
Christ cannot properly be regarded as the Saviour of mankind, because 
innumerable multitudes of men are not even acquainted with his name, 
is to insinuate that the sun is utterly useless to the deaf, because they 
have never heard the properties of that sun described, and to the blind, 
because they have never seen his cheering beams. Lastly : to con- 
elude that the Gospel is false, because it has not rapidly spread itself over 
the whole world, or because it is not observed to operate in a more 
hasty manner the happy changes it is said to produce — thus to argue, is 
to reason as inconclusively as a man who should say, The tree that pro T 
duces Jesuits' bark is an insignificant and useless tree : for, (1.) It grows 
not in every countiy. (2.) It has not always been known. (3.) There 
are persons in the country where it grows, who look upon it as no ex- 
traordinary thing : and, (4.) Many, who have apparently given this 
medicine a proper trial, have found it unattended with those salutary 
effects so generally boasted of. 

Turning the arguments of our philosophers against their own system, 
we affirm, that the Messiah was manifested in a time and place pecu- 
liarly suited to so great an event. With respect to the time, he lived 
and died when the human species had arrived at the utmost pitch of 
refinement and learning. Had he appeared two or three thousand years 
sooner, he must have visited the world in its infant state, while ignorance 
and barbarity reigned among the nations : but in the days of Augustus 
and Tiberius, mankind may be said to have reached the highest degree 
of maturity, with respect to knowledge and civilization. Now, as it is 
necessary that he who bears testimony to any memorable transaction 
should be a man and not a child, so it is equally necessary that Christ 
should have appeared in the most polished period of the world, as the 
one Mediator between God and man. 

Deists sometimes tell us that the force of historic evidence is greatly 
diminished by lapse of time, as a taper placed at too great a distance 
loses much of its brightness. If Christ, then, had offered himself a ran- 
som for all many ages sooner than unerring Wisdom had ordained, the 
incredulous might have urged that the history of a miraculous event, 
reported to have happened in so remote a period of time, was most 
probably corrupted by uncertain tradition, and rendered unworthy of 
credit. 

On the other hand, if the accomplishment of the promise had been 



234 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 

delayed some thousands of years longer, the faith and patience of be- 
lievers would have been called to a proof incompatible with the weakness 
of humanity. And the pious might have said, concerning the first 
coming of Christ, what they have long ago tauntingly spoken of his 
second : " Where is the promise of his coming ? For since the fathers 
fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the 
creation," 2 Pet. hi, 4. 

What is here observed with respect to the age in which the Messiah 
was cut off, is no less true of the season, the day, and the hour. He 
offered himself a sacrifice for the sins of the people in the noonday, at 
the solemn feast of the passover, and at that season of the year which 
naturally invited the dispersed Jews to visit the holy city. The place 
was, like the time, peculiarly adapted to such an event ; a country in 
which the promise of Christ's coming had been frequently repeated. 
Moreover, he became obedient unto death in the time predicted by the 
prophets ; before a people who possessed the oracles of God ; under the 
eyes of the high priest ; before Herod the king, together with the grand 
council of the nation ; before Pilate, who was lieutenant of the greatest 
prince on earth ; at the gates of Jerusalem, in the centre of Judea, and 
nearly in the centre of the then known world. Thus the external mani- 
festation of our glorious Redeemer may be compared to a sun, whose 
rising was preceded by a dawn, which benignly opened upon the first 
inhabitants of the earth ; and whose setting is followed by a lovely twi- 
light, which must necessarily continue till he shall again ascend above 
our horizon, to go down no more. In this point of view the Scriptures 
uniformly represent the sacrifice of Christ. St. Paul expressly declares 
that, " by one offering, he hath perfected for ever them that are sancti- 
fied :" that is, all those in every nation who fear God and work right- 
eousness, Heb. x, 14 ; Acts x, 35. We argue, therefore, with this 
apostle, that " as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to 
condemnation, even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came 
upon all men unto justification of life," Rom. v, 18. 

From these observations we conclude, First, That the Gospel has 
been more or less clearly announced ever since the time in which a 
Redeemer became necessary to man. Secondly, That Jesus Christ 
openly manifested himself in a time most proper for such a discovery. 
Thirdly, That the work of redemption is as necessary to mankind as the 
assistance of medicine is necessary to those who are struggling under 
some dangerous disease. Fourthly, That an explicit knowledge of the 
Redeemer and his salvation is as desirable to those who feel themselves 
ruined by sin, as the certain knowledge of a physician, possessed of 
sovereign remedies, is consoling to the patient who apprehends his life 
in imminent danger. Fifthly, As languishing infants may be restored 
by the medicines of a physician with whom they are totally unacquainted, 
so Jews, Mohammedans, and heathens, provided they walk according to 
the light they enjoy, are undoubtedly saved by Jesus Christ, though they 
have no clear conception of the astonishing means employed to secure 
them from perdition. And lastly, That the grand argument advanced 
against the Gospel by Mons. de Voltaire and J. J. Rousseau, is abun- 
dantly more specious than solid. 



THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. $35 

CHAPTER XV. 
Reflections upon the danger to which modern Deists expose themselves. 

In refuting the objection of superficial moralists, proposed in the pre- 
ceding chapter, we may, perhaps, have afforded them ground for another, 
full as specious and solid. 

Objection. " If it be allowed that in every age salvation has been 
extended to all the true worshippers of God, whether they have been 
pious Jews, such as Joseph, Hezekiah, and Josiah : just men among the 
Gentiles, such as Melchisedec and Aristides ; or heathen philosophers 
who have walked in the fear of God, such as Pythagoras, Socrates, and 
Plato : and if these virtuous men have been saved without subscribing 
to the doctrines of the Gospel, why may not Deists and modern philo- 
sophers be permitted to enjoy the same salvation while they reject those 
doctrines ?" 

Answer. There are three grand dispensations of grace. Under the 
first every heathenish and unenlightened nation must be ranked ; the 
Jews under the second ; and Christians under the third, which is a dis- 
pensation abundantly more perfect than either of the former. The 
followers of Mohammed may be classed with modern Jews, since they 
are Deists of the same rank, and have equally deceived themselves 
with respect to that great Prophet who came for the restoration of 
Israel. 

Those Jews, Mohammedans, and heathens, who " fear God and work 
righteousness," are actually saved by Jesus Christ. Christ is the Truth 
and the Light ; and these sincere worshippers, receiving all the rays of 
truth with which they are visited, afford sufficient proof that they would 
affectionately admire and adore the Sun of righteousness himself, were 
the intervening mists removed by which he is concealed from their view. 
But it is whoily different with those who, beholding this Divine Sun, as 
he is revealed in the Gospel, determinately close their eyes against him, 
and contemptuously raise a cloud of objections to veil him, if possible, 
from the view of others. Every virtuous heathen has manifested a love 
for truth, while many of our philosophers, in the pride of their hearts, 
reject and despise it. The former wrought out their salvation, though 
favoured only with the glimmering dawn of an evangelical day : the 
latter, surrounded with the meridian brightness of that day, are anxiously 
seeking the shadowy coverts of uncertainty and error. The former were 
saved according to that apostolic declaration : " Glory, honour, and 
peace, to every man that worketh good, to the [Christian and the] Jew 
first, and also to the Gentile : for there is no respect of persons with 
God," Rom. ii, 10, 11. And of this number was the Apostle Paul, who 
" obtained mercy " because he was ignorantly a persecutor of the truth, 
living, at the same time, " in all good conscience before God," 1 Tim. i, 
13. Nor can it be doubted, but the same grace with which St. Paul was 
visited in these circumstances, will, m various degrees, illumine and 
purify every soul that resembles him in uprightness aud sincerity. The 
latter will be condemned by virtue of the following declarations : " This 
is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved 
darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil," John hi, 19 



236 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 

" God will render unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the 
truth, indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of 
man that doeth evil, of the [Christian and the] Jew first, and also of the 
Gentile," Rom. ii, 5, 9. 

From these citations we may infer, that, in several proportions, the 
salvation of virtuous heathens will differ as greatly from the salvation of 
faithful Christians, as the brilliancy of an agate is different from that of 
a diamond. " Many mansions," and different degrees of glory, are pre- 
pared " in the house of our Father," John xiv, 1. "There is one glory 
of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the 
stars ; for one star differed! from another star in glory. So also will it 
be in the resurrection of the dead, when God will render unto every 
man according to his works," 1 Cor. xv, 41. 

The highest degrees of glory are reserved by the righteous Judge of 
all the earth for the most faithful of his servants. The honourable 
privilege of being seated at the right hand of Christ will be conferred 
upon those who have trodden in their Master's footsteps, through the 
narrowest and most difficult paths of resignation and obedience. On 
the other hand, God will display the most terrible effects of his right- 
eous anger upon those who have trampled under foot the greatest and 
most frequent offers of Divine grace, according to that exclamation of 
the apostle, " How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation ?" 
Heb. ii, 3 ; since thus obstinately to despise the highest degrees of glory 
which may be attained under the Gospel, and daringly to brave the 
threatenmgs denounced against those who reject that Gospel, discovers 
in the heart a cold indifference to real virtue, together with a sovereign 
contempt for the Divine Author of it. 

As true virtue, like a beautiful plant, is continually rising to a state of 
maturity ; so true philosophy is constantly aspiring after the highest 
attainable degrees of wisdom and purity. If any man neglects those 
means which conduce to the perfection of virtue, when they are once 
proposed to him, he gives evident proof that he has neither that instinct 
of virtue, nor that true philosophy, which cannot but choose the most 
excellent end, together with the surest means of obtaining it. What 
would our philosophers say to a man, who, affecting to aspire after 
riches, and being called to receive a large quantity of gold, should incon- 
sistently refuse it in the following terms : " Many persons have been 
rich enough with a little money to prevent them from starving, and I 
have no inclination to exceed them in point of fortune !" The objection 
proposed in this chapter is founded upon a like sophism, and amounts 
but to an equal argument : " Jews and virtuous heathens have received 
assistance sufficient effectually to secure their salvation, and we have 
not presumption enough to desire any extraordinary advantage above 
them." 

It is difficult to form a just idea of the conceitedness of those boasted 
moralists, who despise every help afforded by the Gospel, because some 
heathens, without such assistance, have been acceptable to God. We 
may compare it to the supposed self sufficiency of a contemptible sub- 
altern officer, who, being presented with a more honourable commission 
from his prince, should reject it, and cry out, " The commission is false, 
and they who present it are no better than deceivers. I have no anxiety 



THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 23? 

to quit my present post. I aspire after no greater honours than those T 
possess. Many thousands have faithfully served his majesty in the 
capacity of subalterns : nay, common soldiers themselves have received 
testimonies of his royal approbation : and why should my services afford 
him less satisfaction than theirs ?" Were a corporal, in my hearing, 
thus to excuse his rejection of a monarch's offered kindness, I should 
suppose either that he had no just conceptions of the honour intended 
him, or that he was withheld from accepting that honour, by motives too 
unworthy to be avowed. But this excuse would be insolent as well as 
pitiful, had the terms of the commission run thus : " Either serve your 
prince with fidelity in the post to which he exalts you, or expect to be 
treated with the utmost severity." 

Now such is the case with all those who obstinately reject the Gospel, 
and perseveringly trample under foot the richest offers of unmerited 
grace. They either reject the truths of revelation through haughtiness 
of spirit, or they are held back from embracing them through the secret 
gratification of some inordinate appetite. Observe here the ground of 
those memorable declarations of our blessed Lord : " Preach the Gospel 
to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized, shall be saved ; 
but he that believeth not, shall be damned," Mark xvi, 15, 16. He that 
believeth not the Son, [after hearing him evangelically announced,] shall 
not see life ; but the wrath of God abideth on him. He is condemned 
already : for every one that doeth evil hateth the light [of the Gospel,] 
neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved," John iii, 
18, 36. 

Upon this principle, as conformable to experience as to sound reason, 
the Gospel is not absolutely rejected, except by those who are either 
visibly corrupted, as Pilate and Felix, or secretly depraved, as Judas 
and Caiaphas. And it was to persons of this character that Christ ad- 
dressed himself in the following terms : " How can ye believe, who 
receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh 
from God only ?" John v, 44. " If any man will do the will of him that 
sent me, [and follow the light that is imparted to him,] he shall know of 
the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself," 
John vii, 17. Hence, when any who have been consecrated to Christ 
by baptism, are seen withdrawing from the footstool of their Master to* 
the schools of philosophy, or, at least, making no advances in true 
holiness ; we may rest assured that their decline is caused, or their 
spiritual growth prevented, by the secret indulgence of some vicious 
inclination. These philosophizing moralists, and these lukewarm dis- 
ciples, may be compared to the fruit that falls before it has attained to the 
perfection of its species : examine such fruit, and you will find, under a 
beautiful appearance, either a destructive worm, or loathsome rottenness* 
Such is the apostatizing Deist under the most specious forms he can 
possibly assume. 

When J. J. Rousseau expressed himself in the following terms : " If 
God judges of faith by works, then to be a good man is to be a real 
believer ;" he was not far beside the truth, provided that by a good man, 
he intended one who lives in temperance, justice, and the fear of God ; 
since every man, in whom these virtues are discoverable, is assuredly 
principled in the true faith. Such a one is a real believer, according to 



238 THE FORTH Alt OF ST. FAUL. 

that economy of grace, under which Job, Josiah r and Socrates, shont 
out to the glory of God ; men, who either possessed principles of faith, 
or whose best actions are no more to be admired than those Of our 
domestic animals. 

This writer had less distinct views of truth, when he added, " The 
true Christian is the just man ; unbelievers are the wicked :" since there 
are just men who are not yet Christians ; as there are studious persons 
who cannot yet be accounted profound scholars. Moreover, there are 
many, who, like the Centurion Cornelius, do not yet believe the Gospel, 
because they have never heard that Gospel explained with precision and 
fidelity ; and surely such deserve not to be termed absolutely unjust men. 
The latter proposition approaches indeed nearer the truth, " unbelievers 
are the wicked :" yet this is false ; except the term unbeliever be taken 
for one who obstinately disbelieves the Gospel, since a good man, who 
receives the first part of the apostles' creed, may yet, like Nathanael and 
Nicodemus, be so forcibly held back by involuntary prejudice, with 
respect to the other parts of the same creed, that he may fluctuate long 
between truth and error. It is by propositions so vague and insidious 
that our philosophers delude themselves and beguile their disciples. 

" But," replies J. J. Rousseau, " have we power to believe, or not to 
believe ? Is the not being able to argue well imputed to us as a crime ? 
Conscience informs us not what we are to think, but what we are to do : 
it teaches us not to reason well, but to act well." And are all the facul- 
ties of man, except his conscience, to be Considered as utterly useless 
with regard to this important matter ? Let it, however, be granted that 
a wicked and haughty person has it not in his power to believe ; yet it 
is highly necessary that he should fear the truth, so long as he gives 
himself up either to actions or inclinations that are manifestly evil. 
Thus, the conscious robber can never overcome his fear of justice so 
long as he is disposed to continue his iniquitous practices. But if, after 
making full restitution, he should become sincerely upright, maintaining a 
conscience void of offence toward God and toward man, he will tremble 
no more at the idea of judges, tribunals, or executions. 

If it be asked, what secret vice it was that would not suffer so honest 
a man as J. J. Rousseau to embrace the Gospel ? Without searcliing 
into the anecdotes of his life, we may rest satisfied with the discovery 
he has made of his own heart in a single sentence : " What can be 
more transporting to a noble soul than the pride of virtue !" Such was 
the pride which made him vainly presume that he had power sufficient 
to conquer himself, without invoking the assistance of God ; and by 
which he was encouraged to assert that the doctrines of the Gospel were 
such as " no sensible man could either conceive or admit." Such was 
the " virtuous pride" which would not suffer the Pharisees to receive the 
humiliating truths of the Gospel, and which filled the heart of Caiaphas 
with jealousy and hatred against Christ. 

There is no species of pride more insolent than that which gives rise 
to the following language : " It is asserted that 'God so loved the world, 
as to give his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should* 
not perish, but have everlasting life.' These tidings, whether they be 
true or false, are highly acceptable to many ; but, for my own part, I 
openly declare, that I reject with contempt the idea of such a favour 



THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 239 

I read with attention those writings which tend to unfold the mysteries 
of nature, but resolve never to turn over those authors who vainly attempt 
to establish the truth of the Gospel. This subject, though it has occupied 
the thoughts, and engaged the pens of inquiring students for these 
seventeen hundred years, I shall ever regard as unworthy my attention. 
I leave it to the vulgar, who are easily persuaded of its importance. 
My virtues are sufficient to expiate my crimes, and on these I will reso- 
lutely depend, as my sole mediators before God." If this be implicitly 
the language of every man who obstinately rejects the doctrines of the 
Gospel, what heights of presumption, and what depths of depravity, 
must lie open, in the souls of such, to the eye of Omniscience ! Reason 
and revelation agree to condemn them. Behold the ground of their 
sentence : " Whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased ; and he that 
humbleth himself shall he exalted : for God resisteth the proud, and 
giveth grace to the humble," Luke xiv, 11 ; 1 Pet. v, 5. 

Reason itself is sufficient to discover that, before the Supreme Being, 
nothing can appear more detestable than the pride of a degenerate and 
ungrateful creature. And if so, the Deists of Socrates' time must have 
been far less culpable than those of the present day. The former, con- 
scious of the uncertainty with which they were encompassed, made use 
of every help they could procure, in the pursuit of truth, with unwearied 
assiduity. The latter, presuming upon their own sufficiency, decide 
against doctrines of the utmost importance, without impartially consider* 
ing the evidences produced in their favour. The former, by carefully 
examining every system of morality proposed to their deliberation, dis- 
covered a candour and liberality becoming those who were anxiously 
" feeling after God, if haply they might find him," Acts xvii, 27. The 
latter, by condemning revelation, without calmly attending to the argu- 
ments of its advocates, manifest a degree of prejudice that would be 
unpardonable in a judge, but which becomes execrable in a criminal 
who is pressed by the strongest reasons to search out the truth. 

Plato, in the sixth book of his Republic, introduces his master marking 
out the dispositions necessary to a virtuous man. " Let us begin," says 
Socrates, " by recounting what qualities are necessary to him who would 
one day become an honest man and a true philosopher. The first quality 
is the love of truth, which he ought to seek after in every thing and by 
every mean ; true philosophy being absolutely incompatible with the 
spirit of delusion. He who has a sincere desire to obtain wisdom, can^ 
not confine himself to things that are here below, of which he can 
acquire but an uncertain knowledge. He is born for truth, and he tends 
to it with an ardour which nothing is able to restrain." Ye who oppose 
philosophy to revelation, and reject, without thoroughly investigating, 
the doctrines of the Gospel, can you be said to discover an attachment 
to truth as sincere as that of Socrates 1 Do ye not rather esteem that 
an excessive fondness for truth, or even a dangerous species of enthu- 
siasm, which the wisest heathens have looked upon as the first disposi- 
tion requisite to an honest man 1 

Plato and his master, who scrupulously acknowledged the truth 
wherever they discovered it, were assuredly in a state of acceptance 
before God, without an explicit acquaintance with Jesus Christ : for 
where the Almighty hath not strewed, there will he never expect to 



240 THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUt. 

gather; and where he hath scattered only the first fruits of the Gospel, 
there he never will require that precious fruit which he expects to be 
produced by the highest truths of revelation. Thus the husbandman 
is content to reap nothing but barley in a field where nothing but barley 
has been sown : but if, after sowing the same field with the purest wheat, 
it should produce only tares, with a few scattered ears of barley, he would, 
undoubtedly, express a degree of surprise and displeasure, at having his 
reasonable expectation so strangely disappointed. 

In the New Testament we find a remarkable parable to this -purpose, 
where mankind are considered as the domestics of God's immense 
household. In this parable, the Almighty is represented as collecting 
his servants together, and confiding to the care of each a separate loan, 
to be employed for the mutual interest of the covenanting parties. To 
one of his domestics he imparts five talents ; to another two ; while 
the third has no more than a single talent committed to his charge : but 
all are required so to occupy, that their gains may be proportionate to 
the several sums intrusted to their fidelity. Now,- if the Christian, with 
five talents of spiritual knowledge, acquires no advantage over the Jew, 
who had received but two, is it not evident that he has acted the part of 
an unfaithful servant ? Nay, he is to be esteemed even more unprofitable 
than the heathen, who suffers his single talent to lie unimproved ; since 
amidst all his trifling gains he has slothfully concealed three valuable 
talents, while the other has buried but one. But were the first and the 
last to derive equal advantages from the disproportionate privileges per- 
mitted them to enjoy, While the latter would be received as a good and 
faithful servant, the former might deservedly be treated with an unusual 
degree of severity by his insulted Lord. This parable may assist us to 
Conceive that a philosopher, who is called by baptism to evangelical 
perfection, and yet contents himself with practising the morality of a 
heathen, has not, in reality, so much solid virtue as a sincere Deist bred 
up in the bosom of Paganism. 

Our progress in morality, like our advancement in science, is to be 
estimated by considering the circumstances in which we are placed, and 
the privileges we enjoy. A dramatic piece, composed by a child or a 
negro, might be received with plaudits, which would justly be hissed off 
the stage had it been produced by a Shakspeare or a Corneille. A 
traveller who expresses his admiration at the address with which savages 
manage a hatchet of stone, would express equal astonishment at the 
Weakness of his countrymen, should he see them easting aside their axes 
of iron, and felling their trees with ill- formed implements of flint. 
Thus, after admiring the successful efforts of Socrates, who drew many 
sacred truths from the chaos of Paganism, how astonishing is it to behold 
modern philosophers patching up a confused s} r stem of Deistical mo- 
rality, to be substituted in place of the sublimer doctrines and the purer 
morality of the Gospel ! Wherever such retrograde reasoners are dis- 
covered, their insignificant labours must be universally deplored by the 
lovers of truth. But when these champions of false wisdom endeavour 
to bury, under the ruins of Christianity, those important truths which 
heathens themselves have formerly discovered, it is impossible to behold 
their impious efforts without feeling all the warmth of an honest 
indignation. 



THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL. 241 

We shall conclude this Essay by transcribing a part of that ancient 
testimony which was borne by Lactantius to the power of those doc- 
trines for which we contend. 

"That which many have discovered, by the assistance of natural reli- 
gion, to be their indispensable duty, but which they have never been 
able either to practise themselves, or to see exemplified in the conduct 
of philosophers ; all this the sacred doctrines of the Gospel assist us to 
perform, because that Gospel is wisdom in its highest excellence. How 
shall philosophers persuade others, while they themselves continue in a 
state of perplexity ? Or how shall they repress the passions of others, 
while, by giving way to their own, they tacitly confess that nature, in 
spite of all their efforts, is still triumphant ? But daily experience testi- 
fies how great an influence the ordinances of God have upon the heart. 
Give me a passionate, slanderous, implacable man ; and, through the 
power of our Gospel, I will return him to you gentle as a lamb. Give 
me an avaricious man, whose greediness of gain will suffer him to part 
with nothing ; and I will return him to you so liberal, that he will give 
away his money by handfuls. Bring me a man who trembles at the 
approach of pain and death ; ere long he shall look with contempt upon 
crosses, fires, and even the bull of Phalaris itself. Present me with a 
debauchee, an adulterer, a man wholly lost to good manners ; you shall 
shortly behold him an example of sobriety, uprightness, and continence. 
Give me a cruel and blood-thirsty man ; his ferocious disposition shall 
suddenly be succeeded by real clemency. Give me an unjust man, a 
stupid person, an extravagant sinner ; you shall shortly behold him 
scrupulously just, truly wise, and leading a life of innocence. Such is 
the power of heavenly wisdom, that it is no sooner shed abroad in the 
heart, but, by a single effort, it chases away folly, the mother of sin. 
To compass these invaluable ends, a man is under no necessity of pay- 
ing salaries to masters of philosophy, and passing whole nights in 
meditating upon their works. Every necessary assistance is imparted 
without delay, with ease, and free from cost ; if there be not wanting 
an attentive ear, and a heart desirous of wisdom. The sacred source 
to which we point, is plenteous, overflowing, and open to all men ; the 
celestial light we announce, indiscriminately rises upon all who open 
their eyes to behold it. 

" What philosopher has ever done so much 1 Who among them is 
able to perform such wonders ? After having passed their lives in the 
study of philosophy, it appears that they have neither bettered them- 
selves nor others, when nature causes them any great resistance. Their 
wisdom serves rather to cover, than to eradicate their vices. Whereas 
our Divine instructions [i. e. the doctrines of the Gospel] so totally 
change a man, that you would no longer know him for the same 
person." (LacU Lib. iii, cap. 26.) 

Vol. III. 16 



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